


Black to Blue

by shizuoh



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Child Neglect, Control Issues, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mute Frisk, Muteness, Non-Binary Chara, Non-Binary Frisk, Panic Attacks, Sharing a Body, Sign Language, Spoilers - Genocide Route, Spoilers - Pacifist Route, possible triggers so b careful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-24
Updated: 2016-04-28
Packaged: 2018-05-03 05:36:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 101,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5278709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shizuoh/pseuds/shizuoh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frisk falls down into the Ruins, but when they try to speak to Flowey, he doesn't understand them.</p><p>Now he's on a journey through the Underground with this kid, and sometimes they get this weird gleam in their eyes and it looks like they're talking to themself. He doesn't have time for this when there's a couple of human souls that need to be stolen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> OK SO
> 
> ive posted this here before but ao3 was being rude?? and not working??
> 
> so im hoping itll finally work this time
> 
> also asl is written in bold, just so u know

They had fallen, and the bed of golden flowers had broken their fall.

Frisk blinked in confusion, climbing to their feet and wobbling a bit. They could feel pain in their back, and once they rubbed the sore area, they knew there was going to be a bruise there.

They frowned a bit, and looked around. It was rather dark, and Frisk had no idea where they were. Noticing a door up ahead, they deciding to trek further into the mysterious place hidden in Mt. Ebott.

 

* * *

 

"Howdy!" a voice suddenly chirped, causing Frisk to flinch in surprise. They looked down at the ground, where a golden flower sprouted up from the ground. And it was smiling at them. "I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!"

Frisk tilted their head to the side, staring at the talking flower oddly.

"...You're a quiet one, aren't you?" the flower said, almost to itself, and Frisk mentally slapped themself when they realized they hadn't introduced themselves back.

 **I'm F-R-I-S-K** , they signed with a slight smile. They expected the flower to say something back, but it was just staring at them with a confused expression. Frisk frowned a bit, realizing that the flower most likely didn't understand him. They tried signing again, but to no avail.

"You must be so confused," the flower said uncertainly. "I guess someone should tell you how things work around here!"

 **Where am I?**  Frisk tried, but the flower definitely did not understand. They huffed, sat down in front of the flower, and wrote their name down in the dirt. Flowey stared at them, and then looked down at the writing.

"...Frisk. Your name is Frisk," the flower repeated, looking slightly annoyed at being interrupted.

Frisk nodded excitedly.

"...Why are you doing that with your hands?"

They wrote it down in the dirt.  _I can't speak._

Flowey read the slightly garbled words, and leaned back a bit. He looked up at Frisk with a strange expression. There was something in his eyes Frisk couldn't decipher. It was almost threatening, but mixed with something else... they couldn't figure out. Almost as if he were reminiscing something—reliving a happy memory through his eyes, or maybe something sad.

Frisk hadn't realized that they had spaced out until Flowey poked them with one of his vines.

"Do another one of those hand things," he demanded, his mouth set into an annoyed pout (if flowers could pout). When Frisk only stared at him, he poked them again, only a bit rougher. "I wanna see!"

He was acting like a child. Frisk smiled to themselves a little and moved their hands to form the phrase,  **I like your petals.**

"What did you say?"

Frisk wrote down their phrase in the dirt, and was proud to note the slight blush on Flowey's cheeks...? Could flowers even blush? What a strange creature this was.

"Oh, uh," Flowey said, unsure. "Thanks, I suppose?"

It was quiet for a while, and Frisk took the time to massage their lower back, immediately regretting it when pain shot through their back. They groaned, shifting in their seat a little and pouting. Falling down the hole had hurt surprisingly less than they first thought, but the pain was still there.

"I suppose I don't have to kill you this time around," Frisk thought they heard Flowey mumble, but then the flower quickly said, "How did you get down here? Did you fall?"

Frisk felt their throat tighten. Should they tell the truth, or lie? They weren't too keen on lying, but telling the truth would be a whole lot harder... Frisk hesitantly lifted their hands.

**I fell.**

Flowey stared at them suspiciously, and then narrowed his eyes. "You're lying. Even if I don't know what you said, I can tell you're lying."

The child bit their lip. Why would they tell the truth to a  _talking flower_  they had just met not even five minutes ago? Man, they were  _really_  too trusting...

Frisk wrote it in the dirt, their arms shaking and stinging with the pain of fresh bruises.  _Dropped._

Flowey stared at the single word for a long, hard minute. It seemed like forever, and then Flowey finally lifted his head to stare at Frisk in the eyes. He could see the fear in them, though from what they were afraid of, he wasn't sure. Was it himself? Was it whoever dropped them down here?

Flowey knew one thing, however. This child reminded him of Chara. They had the same looks, same clothing style... same color soul...

He was reminded of the time he and Chara messed around with the dirt, writing their names down and giggling while writing inappropriate words, until they were caught by their mother and grounded for the rest of the day. He was reminded of the time he and Chara played charades, each trying to guess what or who the other was (although it ended mostly in himself behaving rather erratically and Chara laughing at him).

But he  _wasn't_  Asriel anymore. He was  _Flowey_. He had no soul. He shouldn't be talking with this child like they were  _friends_. They should be  _dead_  by now. And yet, Flowey found himself asking more questions.

"Who dropped you down here?"

Their answer was hesitant and written with trembling fingers.

_Parents._

"Why?"

Frisk didn't respond. They kept their hands clenched into tightly-balled fists at their sides, staring down at the word "Parents" written into the dirt.

Flowey tried again. "Why did they drop you down here?"

They didn't answer.

It was silent. Flowey frowned, finding himself growing more and more curious. He had never heard of parents dropping their children down into the pit in Mt. Ebott. Legends said that those who went up there never returned. He supposed that was the point—to get rid of the child.

"...Frisk.  _Why_  did your parents drop you down here?" The child's name settled oddly on his tongue. He had almost called them Chara.

They finally answered.

But Flowey hadn't been able to read their response, for a sudden ball of fire knocked him over and sent him flying. He growled as he watched Toriel speak softly to the child, observing them and asking if they were okay. She called him a horrible creature. A horrible creature for "torturing a poor, innocent soul". Was the woman  _blind!?_  He hadn't been hurting them in any way...

... _yet_.

The child looked back, seemingly trying to find Flowey, but he had gone underground, hidden away from the world as he tried to reset.

But he couldn't.

 

* * *

 

"My child, what is that writing in the dirt?"

Frisk looked down at the last answer they gave Flowey.

_Because I was born._

They bit their lip, and shook their head at Toriel, dismissing it as nothing.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Toriel was a strange, but gentle creature, and Frisk had warmed up to her quickly. She didn't make fun of their muteness, and even though she wasn't too understanding of sign language, Frisk was able to convey quite a few messages to her. She was like a caring mother, like one they never had. She even allowed them to call her "Mom".

But then she told them to stay put.

Frisk, being ever the curious one, decided to trek further while feeling incredibly guilty for disobeying Toriel's wishes. They encountered quite a few monsters, although most wanted to just speak with them instead of fight. Frisk, unable to muster any intent to hurt even a single creature, spared each one of them.

They especially enjoyed their time with Napstablook, a melancholy ghost who looked like they just needed some cheering up (and who understood their sign language, surprisingly—apparently most ghosts couldn't speak). Frisk hoped to see them again someday, since they simply faded away after their "battle".

However, Frisk hadn't seen Flowey once. They wondered where the little yellow flower had gone to.

Unbeknownst to them, Flowey was following them throughout their entire journey through the Ruins.

The golden flower frowned as Frisk carefully set some gold into a spider web. They smiled brightly once a few spiders crawled down and handed them a donut. It was  _ridiculous_. This kid had  _no_  idea how things worked down here. What did  _they_  know, anyway? Flowey knew the overworld was just as harsh and cruel as the underground, if not  _more_. There's no way they could just make it through by just being nice. Eventually, they would  _have_  to fight, or maybe even kill out of frustration. The thought made him smile cruelly.

He was going to get his revenge on this child. Ever since they fell, Flowey had lost his ability to reset. His determination wasn't as powerful as Frisk's. But...for some reason...he could  _feel_  something familiar in Frisk. He just didn't know  _what_  it was yet.

He thought about the last answer the human child gave him.  _Because I was born._  They were thrown down here by their parents because they were born. It was tragic, and something he had hardly heard of. Most monsters in the underground cared deeply for their children. But even going so far as to  _kill_  their own child just so they wouldn't have to deal with it? It was unheard of, basically.

Oh, but Flowey couldn't talk. He's killed plenty of children multiple times.

Flowey watched as Frisk's phone began to rang. They put it to their ear, and even though they were not able to speak, they and Toriel seemed to have created some kind of system to communicate. He saw Frisk tap on the receiver once, and then twice the second time.

This human was strange. They didn't seem afraid of these monsters. No, they just wanted to be  _nice_  and  _caring_. It sickened Flowey.

But he couldn't bring himself to kill them himself.

He saw Chara whenever he looked at Frisk's face.

 

* * *

 

Frisk beamed once they saw Napstablook in one of the holes in the puzzle. Quickly running up to them, Frisk kneeled beside them with a smile.

"oh..." Napstablook said softly as they glanced at Frisk. "i fell down a hole...now i cant get up...go on without me..."

Frisk giggled silently at their words.  **But you are a ghost** , they signed, raising an eyebrow at the transparent figure laying on the red roses.

Napstablook was quiet with realization. "wait, ghosts can fly, can't they...oh well..." They smiled just a tiny bit at Frisk before fading away.

 

* * *

 

Frisk had found the toy knife, and Flowey felt his breath hitch. They held it in their small hands, staring down at the false blade with curiosity.

Flowey could have sworn their eyes went red.

 

* * *

 

Frisk walked into the ruins until they found themselves facing a house, with a creepy tree surrounded by fallen leaves in front of it.

Their phone began to ring for a second, but then it stopped, and Frisk found their vision filled with white fur.

"How did you get here, my child? Are you hurt?" Toriel asked in concern, and without waiting for a reply, said, "There, there. I will heal you." She smiled down at them warmly, although guiltily. "I should not have left you down here for so long. It was irresponsible to try to surprise you like this."

At her last sentence, Frisk's eyes brightened and they stared at her in wonder, head tilting to the side. Toriel blushed, realizing she had slipped her tongue.

"Err..." Toriel said slowly. "I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, small one!" Toriel took Frisk's hand and led them into the cute, tidy house.

As soon as they stepped inside, Frisk was overwhelmed with senses of familiarity and warmth. A delicious smell flooded their nose, the smell of some kind of sweet. Frisk loved sweets.

"Do you smell that?" Toriel questioned with a smile. "Surprise! It is a butterscotch-cinnamon pie." Frisk felt a smile tugging at their lips—they had never had pie before. "I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here."

_Living...?_

"So I will hold off on snail pie for tonight."

Frisk grimaced inwardly.  _Snail pie?_  That sounded a bit gross.

"Here," Toriel said, catching Frisk's attention, "I have another surprise for you."

She turned on her heel and walked down the hallway, and Frisk quickly followed in pursuit. Toriel looked almost excited as she set Frisk in front of a door. "A room of your own!" she exclaimed with nostalgia in her eyes. "I hope you like it!"

Frisk smiled as they felt Toriel's fuzzy hands gently rubbing the crown of their head. Then she stopped, realized that the smell had escalated to a burning scent, and quickly dashed off. They watched her leave, and then took a step inside their new room.

They had never really had a room of their own before. Growing up in a very poor family had resulted in mostly sleeping with others at the homeless shelter, or staying in a cheap apartment with only two rooms—and their parents always got the only bedroom there was.

Frisk beamed. The room seemed fit just for a child. They looked at the toys. None of them interested Frisk. There was a empty photo frame coated with dust, a box of kids' shoes in a disparity of sizes, and stuffed animals lined carefully alongside the bed. There was no way Toriel could've put all this together in a short amount of time. It must have already been here.

But, then, who was it for...?

 

* * *

 

Frisk woke up and realized they were on the bed in their new room. They must've fallen asleep sometime during contemplating life and death and its meaning while staring at a ceiling—a common pastime for a young child.

Deciding to trek outside their new room, Frisk found a room that seemingly belonged to Toriel. But, being ever the kindest, they decided to keep it close and not snoop. Snooping was rude, after all. The other room farther down the hall said it was closed for renovations. Frisk could only wonder what kind of renovations was being done, and how. No one seemed to be down here save for Toriel, a few monsters, Napstablook, and Flowey—

Flowey.

Where had he gone? Frisk wanted to make friends with him. They had never met a talking flower before, and something about that flower seemed oddly familiar. Like something deep in their heart knew him.

Oh well. Frisk was sure they'd meet him again.

Frisk went back down to the other side of the house, and smiled once they saw Toriel reading on a rocking chair beside a burning fireplace. They eagerly walked up to her, and Toriel smiled back down at them.

"Up already, I see?" she asked, her tone as kind and soft as ever. "Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here." Frisk frowned a bit at that; it must get lonely down here. Couldn't she leave? "There are so many old books I want to share," Toriel continued. "I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot. I've also prepared a curriculum for your education."

Frisk blinked.

"This may come as a surprise to you...but I have always wanted to be a teacher." _Not surprising at all, really,_ Frisk decided with a silent laugh. "I am glad to have you living here," Toriel repeated.

Frisk shifted a bit. Living here? Sure, Toriel was nice and basically a kind mother to them, but Frisk knew well enough that staying here would not be good for their health. It was dark, with no sunlight or very much nutrients young children needed to grow. And Toriel seemed very insistent on snails, and a young growing child couldn't live on snails and pie for the rest of their lives. Frisk knew they needed to get back up to the surface, but maybe they could take Toriel with them?

Why hadn't she tried to leave before?

Frisk noticed a bookshelf beside the fireplace. Deciding to check it out, they were surprised to see a collection of history books instead of what they expected to be more cookbooks on how to cook snails.

They opened it up.

_Trapped behind the barrier and fearful of further human attacks, we retreated. Far, far into the earth we walked, until we reached the cavern's end. This was our new home, which we named..._

_"Home"._

_As great as our king is, he is pretty lousy at names._

Frisk frowned at the words. Barrier? Trapped? What did all this mean?

They took the book to Toriel and set it onto her lap, feeling guilty when she flinched. Toriel set her book aside, and winced when she read the words Frisk was pointing to.

"Oh dear..." she said softly. "What an awful subject for a child to be intrigued in."

Frisk only pointed more determinedly.

Toriel removed her reading glasses with a quiet sigh. "I'm sure you have heard the story, no? The war between monsters and humans?"

Frisk tilted their head to the side in confusion, and then shook it after a few seconds of trying to recall any memory of hearing about this war. They believed monsters didn't exist, but here they were, down underground.

Toriel looked surprised, but easily masked it. "Well, that is odd... Anyways, the story is that humans attacked monsters, fearing their ability to absorb souls. And they just attacked without warning... Monsters fought back, but many of us died, and eventually we were defeated. Humans sent us underground and sealed us here with an ancient magic." She frowned, her eyes glassy. "Anyone can come in, but no one can come out."

 **Is there a way to leave?**  Frisk signed, but then remembered that Toriel was unable to understand them. They looked around for something to write on, and noticed a notepad next to a pen on the table. Grabbing it, they scribbled down their words and held it out towards Toriel.

She gave Frisk an apologetic look after scanning the words. "Oh, my child... I am afraid not. Not without..." She trailed off, biting her tongue.

Frisk leaned forward, urging her to continue.

Toriel sighed, hanging her head. "I cannot save even a single child..." she mumbled tearfully, and then lifted her head. "The only way to break the barrier is for a monster to collect seven human souls. But a monster can exit the barrier themselves if they absorb a human soul. That is why...why..." She looked down at her lap, folding her hands and straightening her back. "That is why you must stay here. I must protect you." She looked fierce. "I cannot let yet another innocent life be taken. It is not right."

 _I want to save you!_  Frisk quickly wrote, their eyes flashing with determination.

"I am afraid you cannot."

_Please let me try._

"My child...please...go to your room."

_It's not fair! Humans get to live up top with everything and monsters are trapped down here with nothing! I wanna be the one to help you! I wanna be the one to save you!_

Many words were misspelled, but the message shone through clearly. Toriel felt almost...hopeful.

"You remind me of someone I once knew," she mumbled, cupping Frisk's face in her hands. "Come with me."

 

* * *

 

Toriel led Frisk down into the basement, and then up to a large door.

"This door leads to the rest of the Underground," she explained, "but it will be dangerous out there. You must be careful, my child. But do not worry, I have hopefully grasped for you a guardian. And I am sure that many others out there will wish to help you as well." Toriel took a deep breath. "Even ones who may seem like enemies at first."

She opened the door, and Frisk felt a brisk chill wash over them.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> toriel wow letting ur kid go out like that? shame.
> 
> ik she seems ooc but its a fic let me live


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i uPLOADED THE WRONG CHAPTER AT FIRST RIP

Frisk never liked the cold.

Snow was always a warning of bad things to come. When sleeping in alleyways, the cold was often so intense that Frisk would have to bundle up in their mother's coat—which annoyed their mother, because it just made her cold. When in homeless shelters, the blankets were passed around to the children and elders first, and that usually resulted in Frisk's parents ending up with nothing. Frisk always felt guilty, and was often forced to give up their blanket to their mother and father.

Their striped sweater wasn't doing all that much for the brisk cold that formed goosebumps on their skin. Frisk pulled down the sleeves of their sweater over their hands and rubbed their arms with a shiver. The Ruins had been warm, and cozy. Who knew they led to a cold winter wonderland such as this?

Blackened trees surrounded Frisk, and they were too busy trying to see past them to notice the large branch ahead of them. They tripped, landing face-first into the snow. Not expecting the sudden fall and impact, Frisk nearly panicked as they fell, and pouted as their face burned with a freezing cold. Not having the motivation to get up, Frisk laid in the snow pathetically for a while. Then they heard footsteps behind them, and were filled with determination as they jumped up and scurried ahead.

They reached a large, brown archway with wide bars and stared at it for a while. About to pass, Frisk took a step forward, but froze in place when they heard shuffling footsteps coming from behind. They didn't move an inch—this was what Toriel warned them about. Monsters coming to kill them because they were human, wanting to take their soul.

Their heart pounded in their chest as they felt the owner of the footsteps' presence behind them.

" **Human.** "

Frisk's breath caught in their throat, and they trembled—both in fear and cold.

" **Don't you know how to greet a new pal?** " The monster's words confused them. " **Turn around and shake my hand.** "

Not wanting to disobey and make anything worse for them, Frisk squeezed their eyes shut and slowly turned around, extending their hand. There was a sudden grip, followed by a—

_FFFFFBBLLLLLBL_

—whoopee cushion?

"heheh." Frisk opened their eyes to see a rather short skeleton, dressed in a blue sweatshirt and track shorts. "the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it's ALWAYS funny."

Frisk stared at the skeleton, and soon they began to shake their shoulders as if laughing, covering their mouth with their cold hands to cover their bright smile.

"anyways, you're a human, right?"

Frisk nodded.

"that's hilarious," the skeleton chuckled. "i'm sans. sans the skeleton."

 **I'm F-R-I-S-K** , they signed happily. Sans went rigid, and his pupils seemed to disappear for a second as he stared down at them. Either he didn't understand, or he did and just ignored them.

"im actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now..." Sans continued, his voice a bit shaky. "but, y'know...i don't really care about capturing anybody." Then he chuckled. "now, my brother, papyrus...he's a human-hunting FANATIC."

Frisk tensed.

"hey, actually, I think that's him over there."

Oh no.

Sans led them through the gate/archway (which was apparently meant to be a fence, but his brother made the bars far too wide to stop anyone), and instructed Frisk to hide behind a conveniently-shaped lamp just before his brother appeared.

Papyrus was a tall skeleton with strange "battle armor" and a bright smile.

"sup, bro?" sans greeted as his brother rushed up towards him.

"YOU KNOW WHAT 'SUP', BROTHER." Papyrus' voice was loud, and startled Frisk. "IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T...RE-CALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES!"

 _He's tall_ , whispered a voice in the back of Frisk's head, and Frisk couldn't help but agree. Frisk, being only a child, was very short. They were even shorter than Sans.

"YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!"

"staring at this lamp," Sans replied, his permanent grin looking playful, and Frisk felt themselves jolt. "it's really cool. do you wanna look?"

 _Is he trying to rat us out?_  said the voice again, and Frisk wondered who exactly "us" was.

Papyrus suddenly began stomping his foot against the ground like a child having a temper tantrum. "NO! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!?"

Frisk sweated.

"I WANT TO BE READY! I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE!" he declared over and over, clenching his fists and glaring at his smiling brother. "I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!"

Then his cape began to fly dramatically behind him, but there was no wind. "THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS..." He put a hand on his chest with a humble smile. "...WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE." His grin went from humble to smug. "RESPECT...RECOGNITION... I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK TO, BE MY, 'FRIEND'?"

Frisk tilted their head a bit, poking out from the side of the lamp to look at Sans, and then back at Papyrus. Did he not have friends? He seemed so nice and sweet, even if his ego was seemingly a bit hard to handle.

"I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING!"

Frisk rolled their eyes, and heard someone groan.

"hmm..." Sans mused. "maybe this lamp will help you."

Uh oh.

"SANS! YOU ARE NOT HELPING! YOU LAZYBONES!"

Thank God for Papyrus' denseness.

"ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE!"

_"Boondoggle"? What does that mean?_

"YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!"

"hey, take it easy. i've gotten a ton of work done today." Sans winked. "a skele- _ton_."

Frisk shook their head.

"SANS!"

"come on. you're smiling."

"I AM AND I HATE IT." Papyrus sighed. "WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME...HAVE TO DO SO MUCH JUST TO GET SOME RECOGNITION."

"wow. sounds like you're really working yourself...down to the bone."

Frisk deadpanned, hanging their head.

"UGH!" Apparently Papyrus didn't enjoy puns. "I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES... AS FOR YOUR WORK? PUT A LITTLE MORE 'BACKBONE' INTO IT! NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!"

He turned around and hastily left, and Frisk felt a sigh of relief leave their body.

"ok, you can come out now."

Frisk followed Sans' words and hesitantly stepped out from behind the lamp. The cold had gotten worse, and Frisk was having a hard time keeping still when their body continuously trembled and their hands twitched. They stepped in front of Sans, and he stared down at them for a few moments before seeing the flushed cheeks and cold breath the child was releasing in staggered waves.

"whoa, kid, are you ok?"

Frisk rubbed their hands against their arms, blowing into their hands to try and get some heat, but to no avail. Sans was quiet for a moment, and then walked over to behind a nearby counter. He reached behind it, and pulled out a small blanket just fit for a child.

"here." He placed it on top of Frisk, wrapping it around their body. They sneezed, and buried their freezing fingers into the surprisingly warm blanket. "i keep this around because, y'know, it's snowdin. it's cold."

Frisk nodded, and signed  **Thank you**  with shaking fingers. Sans didn't seem to understand, but he got the message from Frisk's wide smile.

"you oughta get going," Sans said. "he might come back. and if he does..." He winked. "you'll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes."

Frisk felt themselves relax. They liked Sans. He was nice, and he gave them this blanket too! Frisk looked over at the area where Papyrus had just left through. Papyrus seemed odd, but Frisk somehow liked him as well. They wanted to get to know him, and make friends with him (since it seemed as Papyrus had no friends, judging from the way he spoke).

Frisk clenched their fists, determined to become Papyrus' friend and give him the respect and recognition he deserved.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter ik ik
> 
> i meant to get this out earlier but im lazy,, sans is my spirit animal
> 
> comments are always good! i love reading them all and replying! so please send them in so i can cry in happiness :))


	4. Chapter 4

Flowey was  _livid_.

How  _dare_  this human just waltz in here and do as they please!?

He watched as they excitedly went through puzzle after puzzle after puzzle—willingly too! With the shorter skeleton's blanket tied around their neck like a cape, they happily followed Papyrus and Sans around, eager for the next challenge.

The guard dogs didn't even hurt them at all! They just rolled around in the snow, pretending to be a puppy or something! It was insane! Idiotic!

Flowey seethed. His plans were going wrong. This was  _not_  how it was supposed to happen.

Everything had begun to go downhill starting from the moment Flowey decided to talk to the human instead of killing it right away.

He glared at Frisk, just barely sprouting out of the nearly-frozen ground as Papyrus explained the overly-complicated details of the tile puzzle. Frisk just listened intently, even if they didn't understand every word. Once Papyrus pulled the switch, the puzzle created a simple path with no complications whatsoever. The human looked almost disappointed, watching with sympathetic eyes as Papyrus practically rolled away wordlessly.

Ugh.  _Disgusting_.

This human cared about  _everything_  so  _much_. And  _that_  would most likely be their downfall.

And while the human's emotions and sympathy for everything disgusted him and almost made him laugh with sick glee, he was envious.

Envious of the  _care_  and  _love_  they showed for everything.

During his brooding, he didn't notice Frisk in front of him, and flinched as the human knelt down excitedly. They beamed at him, but when he was about to shuffle back down into the ground, they quickly grabbed his stem and stared at him with wide, anxious eyes.

He sighed. What was he getting himself into?

Frisk wrote into the snow, their fingers looking cold from lack of heat.  _Hi!_

Flowey blinked at them. "Howdy."

 _Where have you been?_  They sent him a look that said "I missed you", and Flowey almost laughed in their face.

"Busy," he replied, turning away a bit.

_Can you travel anywhere in the underground?_

"Uh," Flowey said, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed, "yeah..."

Frisk beamed, and Flowey winced. He had never seen a smile that bright before. Frisk signed something, but then blinked once they realized Flowey was unable to understand. For a moment, the flower wished he could.

_You should come with me!_

Flowey stared down at their words with a surprised expression. "Uh—"

Frisk wiped away the words and wrote new ones.  _Sorry, you don't have to._

The flower was quiet for a moment. Following the human in their journey could have great opportunities, or it could go horribly wrong. As he relayed the good and bad consequences, he suddenly got an idea.

If the human made it to Asgore, he could take the human souls.

And so, in a moment of finality, Flowey grinned up at Frisk and said, "Sure! I'll go!"

 

* * *

 

Flowey had wrapped his vines around Frisk's right arm, and his head was hovering just above their right shoulder. Their blanket from Sans did a good job of hiding him (though Frisk didn't understand why he wanted to be hidden), but he was still quite noticeable.

Frisk looked at the long bridge ahead of them, their hands shakily landing on the railing and gripping tightly.

"Just don't look down," Flowey said reassuringly, and then backtracked and wondered why he was trying to make the human feel better in the first place.  _Well, they have to be okay to make it to Asgore_ , he told himself. It almost felt as if he was lying.

Frisk took a deep breath and stepped onto the bridge, and then jumped back with a gasp. The bridge was one of those that were only tied to each side by rope, with no placement underneath to keep it steady.

Remembering Flowey's words, Frisk looked straight ahead—even though they couldn't see the other side—and started walking as fast as they could.

Once they made it farther, they stopped in place once they saw Papyrus and Sans standing on the other side. Frisk held onto the railing more tightly, the rope beginning to burn in their grip.

"HUMAN! THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE!" Papyrus declared, and Frisk leaned onto one side of the bridge before nearly tripping. "BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!"

"Uh," Flowey muttered softly in Frisk's ear, and the latter gulped.

Suddenly, dangerous weapons seemingly came down from somewhere, and Frisk's eyes widened. A large flail was closest to Frisk, swinging back and forth menacingly. A giant, sharp spear was next, pushing downwards with every second. Oddly enough, the third was a dog hanging from a rope.

"CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE!" Papyrus continued, and Frisk felt their hands tremble. None of Papyrus' puzzles had been so dangerous before—Frisk wondered for a moment if Papyrus was actually nice or another monster just trying to kill them.

"EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN!" Papyrus said. "ARE YOU READY!? BECAUSE! I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!"

Papyrus seemed to hesitate, and his expression changed slightly once he saw the fear in Frisk's eyes.

"well? what's the holdup?" sans asked his brother as he turned away from him.

"HOLDUP!? WHAT HOLDUP!?" Papyrus shouted, baffled. "I'M... I'M ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT NOW!"

Frisk looked down, and felt their breath catch in their throat as they saw the fire, spikes, and cannons lined up below. They shook, leaning onto one side of the bridge, and regretting it as the bridge nearly overturned itself.

"that, uh, doesn't look very activated."

"WELL! THIS CHALLENGE! IT SEEMS..." Papyrus looked to the side. "...MAYBE... TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMAN WITH."

Frisk looked up hopefully.

"YEAH! WE CAN'T USE THIS ONE! I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! MY PUZZLES ARE VERY FAIR!" Papyrus continued, sounding almost nervous. "AND MY TRAPS ARE EXPERTLY COOKED! BUT THIS METHOD IS TOO DIRECT! NO CLASS AT ALL! AWAY IT GOES!"

Papyrus waved his hand, sending the dangerous weapons away (and the dog) and Frisk nearly fell over from relief. They let out a breath they hadn't known they'd been holding, and glanced behind them to make sure Flowey was still there. He was silent, hiding behind Frisk's back to prevent the skeletons from seeing him.

"PHEW!" Papyrus breathed, seemingly relieved, and then noticed Frisk's stare. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!? THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS!"

Frisk just smiled as Papyrus quickly left, leaving Sans behind.

 

* * *

 

Past the bridge was a town called Snowdin.

There were many buildings and townies, and Frisk just hoped that none of them wanted to kill them. Oddly, Flowey settled himself around Frisk's body, acting as some kind of flower decoration rather than a living flower.

The sight of such a friendly town filled them with determination.

Frisk walked into the store, pushing the door open and glancing inside. They didn't have much money, but they could just look around inside and browse.

"Hello, traveler. How can I help you?" asked a kind voice, and Frisk looked up to see a rather pretty bunny smiling down at them. Frisk felt the warmth of the shop wash over them, and they smiled.

Frisk looked down at the items in the shop, and their prices. They had about only 70G, and some of the stuff was decently-priced. There were rows of fresh cinnamon buns that wafted a delicious smell, and Frisk felt their stomach grumble. Even though they had just ate, and were used to going long amounts of time without eating, the smell of the cinnamon rolls awoke their hunger, and Frisk found themselves observing the price of them.

"It's my own recipe," the bunny laughed, noticing their hungry gaze.

Frisk took out 25G from their pocket and handed it to the lady. She took it into her fuzzy hands, and smiled as she wrapped up a cinnamon bun in a napkin and handed it to the young child.

"Thank you for your purchase," she said kindly. Then she let out a small sigh. "I can't remember the last time I saw a fresh face around here. Where are you from?" Frisk tensed a little. "The capital? You don't look like a tourist. Are you here by yourself?"

She didn't seem to realize that they were a human, and Frisk nodded.

"You look like you're a child," the bunny said, almost amused. "Where are your parents, little one?"

Frisk stiffened, their grip on their cinnamon bun tightening. The bunny seemed to notice their reaction, and quickly changed the subject.

"Y'know, life is a little claustrophobic here. It's a bit saddening, doing the same thing everyday, really. But..." The bunny trailed off, and then stared down at Frisk. "...deep down, we all know that freedom is coming, don't we?"

Frisk smiled, and nodded. They knew they were going to be the one to give that freedom, no matter what it took.

From behind Frisk, Flowey rolled his eyes.

Frisk walked out of the shop, munching on the cinnamon bun and smiling at the flavor. They even offered Flowey some, but he refused, saying he wasn't hungry. More for them, then.

Frisk wandered the town, even looking inside the inn next door (who, the owner, was apparently the shop owner's sister).

Most of the townsfolk were fuzzy creatures—bunnies, bears, etc. There was a lady with a (pet?) bunny tied to a leash, looking rather serene and peaceful. The man staring at her from the other side looked troubled, and somewhat creeped out. Was it the fact that a bunny was walking a pet bunny? Frisk wasn't sure.

There was a bear placing presents underneath a tree, and Frisk's eyes sparkled. Did the monsters have Christmas too? Frisk had never gotten many presents, sometimes none at all, but they still enjoyed the Christmas cheer that was all around.

"Some awful teens tormented a poor monster by putting decorations all over it," the bear said as Frisk excitedly walked up, and the human recalled seeing a monster crying as it tried to remove the decorations on it. "So we tried to make that monster feel better by giving it presents. Now it's a tradition to put presents underneath a decorated tree."

Frisk snickered, running their hands along the tree and smiling at the bristles that pricked their skin. They saw an armless monster that looked like a child, wearing a striped shirt—or the stripes were just part of their body. Frisk wasn't sure.

"Yo!" the monster said. "You're a kid too, right? I can tell 'cause you're wearing a striped shirt."

Frisk looked down at their shirt, and then smiled a little.

They looked down at the presents underneath the tree, and jokingly wondered if any of them were for them. Many of them were addressed from Santa to various locals, and Frisk blinked in surprise. Monsters had the Santa legend too, apparently. Frisk's parents said they were too old for Santa once they had turned 4, but the idea was still amusing.

Frisk finished their cinnamon bun right before they walked into Grillby's, and then blinked in surprise at all the monsters in there. There was even a flaming man standing at the counter, cleaning some kind of cup off with a cloth.

There were the guard dogs from earlier, Greater Dog, Lesser Dog, and even Doggo. Frisk wasn't sure how they had found their way here, considering Doggo and the guard dogs could only see moving things.

Frisk walked up to Lesser Dog, and stared in confusion as they say it was playing poker against itself... and losing?

They felt Flowey stir around them as they walked up to the flaming man, and sat at a booth. Frisk leaned in, trying to talk to the flaming man, but leaning back once they felt the heat settle on their face uncomfortably.

The flaming man just stared at them, trying to read them with his eyes.

"Grillbz said that he'd offer you a glass of water, but he doesn't touch the stuff," the bird creature sitting beside Frisk said, and Frisk shrugged in agreement. Then they blinked, wondering if the flaming man couldn't speak either.

 **Hello** , they signed, hopefully waiting for a response.

Grillbz was silent, and his hands stopped moving as he watched Frisk move their hands. Then he nodded at them, and Frisk smiled so brightly they could've started their own fire from the light the smile produced.

Flowey scoffed quietly from below.

 

* * *

 

Frisk stepped into the library, taking note of the misspelled sign outside. The lady at the desk greeted them as they walked in, and Frisk marveled at the sight of the warm colors and welcoming atmosphere.

They walked towards the books lined up in the shelves, and took one out. It was a school report about monster funerals.

_Monster funerals, technically speaking, are cool as heck. When monsters get old and kick the bucket, they turn into dust. At funerals, we take that dust and spread it onto the person's favorite thing. Then their essence will live on in that thing..._

_Uhh, am I at the page minimum yet? I'm kinda sick of writing this._

Frisk was feeling a range of emotions at that very moment. First, amusement. Second, oddly sad. And third, oh, the third was an odd desire to feel that dust in their fingertips. That third feeling wasn't them, they knew. It was something else. Something deep inside them. Frisk felt like crying.

They remembered the dust spread on the old, empty photo frame back at Toriel's, and silently put the book back. Flowey noticed their expression, and curled up around them to look them in the eye.

"Are you okay?" he asked, and Frisk made no move to acknowledge him as they moved onto the next row of books.

_While monsters are mostly made of magic, human beings are mostly made of water. Humans, with their physical forms, are far stronger than us. But they will never know the joy of expressing themselves through magic._

_They'll never get a bullet-patterned birthday card..._

In stories, monsters were always the ones stronger than humans. They were the bad guys, while the humans were the weak, helpless creatures being killed until some legendary hero came to rescue them all. Wasn't magic supposed to be stronger than humans—who had no magic?

Considering from Toriel's story, a long time ago the humans  _did_  have magic. Odd.

Frisk moved onto the next.

_(Here I am... writing this book. A person comes in and picks up the book... They start reading it...!)_

"Oh, sorry. I'm still writing that one," said the monster from the nearby table.

Frisk let out a small breath through their nose in amusement, their version of a laugh.

_Because they are made of magic, monsters' bodies are attuned to their soul. If a monster doesn't want to fight, its defenses will weaken. And the crueller the intentions of our enemies, the more their attacks will hurt us. Therefore, if a being with a powerful soul struck with the desire to kill..._

_Um, let's end the chapter here._

There was something in their head that seemed pleased at the chapter before them. It slowly began to grow near the final sentences, and Frisk felt their hands get clammy.

_"MONSTER HISTORY PART 4"_

_Fearing the humans no longer, we moved out of our old city, HOME._

_We braved harsh cold, damp swampland, and searing heat... Until we reached what we now call our capital._

_"NEW HOME"._

_Again, our king is really bad at names._

Flowey seemed amused by the words below, and Frisk smiled.

_Love, hope, compassion..._

_This is what people say monster souls are made of. But the absolute nature of the soul is unknown. After all, humans have proven their souls don't need these things to exist._

The underlying tone in the final sentence wasn't missed by Frisk, and they frowned a bit. They knew humans weren't good. They knew humans had done many horrible things in the past—especially covering up the history between humans and monsters.

Frisk sighed.

_They're afraid of us._

Their thoughts weren't their own voice.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments are nice yo,,
> 
> also flowey has joined the squad rip everyone


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3k hits how the h e l l

Frisk walked past Papyrus' and Sans' house, nearly skipping as they trekked further down the way of the river. As they walked, it began to grow colder and colder, and Frisk shivered, wrapping their arms around themselves. Flowey ducked underneath the blanket, and Frisk began to feel frightened as the tension and darkness of the area increased.

They took a step forward hesitantly, wondering if they should turn back. Something in their head made them continue forward, and suddenly, not of their will, Frisk came to a halt.

"HUMAN."

Papyrus' voice echoed through the chill darkness, and Frisk felt themselves relax slightly.

"ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS."

 _Here we go_ , the strange voice in their head murmured in amusement and anticipation. Frisk couldn't help but hold their breath.

"FEELINGS LIKE... THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER."

Frisk blinked in confusion, and could feel Flowey almost snickering from behind them.

"THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER'S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS," Papyrus continued, his dark silhouette the only thing visible through the thick, chilly fog, "THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL. THESE FEELINGS..."

Both Flowey and Frisk leaned in to hear in anticipation.

"...THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!"

Of course.

"I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY. AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT"—Frisk smiled slightly at his confidence. Oh how they wished to have his self-esteem—"I DON'T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE. I PITY YOU... LONELY HUMAN."

Frisk shifted uncomfortably.

"WORRY NOT!" Papyrus shouted loudly, causing the other to flinch. "YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE YOUR..." His voice trailed off, and Frisk saw his silhouette move a bit, as if realizing something.

He turned away suddenly, his hands on his face. "NO... NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG!" Papyrus exclaimed dramatically. "I CAN'T BE YOUR FRIEND!"

Frisk felt hurt, and their eyes widened dejectedly.

Papyrus whirled around to face Frisk. "YOU ARE A HUMAN! I MUST CAPTURE YOU! THEN, I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM!" His cape began flowing behind him again. "POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS! THAT'S PAPYRUS! THE NEWEST MEMBER... OF THE ROYAL GUARD!"

The skeleton stared at Frisk with a gleam in his eye, and Frisk suddenly felt a strange sensation. Something was building up, and it felt like it was about to erupt inside them. Frisk inhaled sharply, staggering back and just barely staying on their feet as their chest began to glow a bright red. They began to vibrate, and Frisk nearly choked at the burning and fervent impression.

Suddenly, they were in a whirlwind of darkness, their glowing red soul hovering in front of them, bright and visible. Frisk's eyes widened, and they reached out to touch it. Once their fingers brushed it, they felt a tickling sensation, and heard a small cackle in the back of their head.

Papyrus was in front of them, ready to fight.

Frisk's heart dropped to their stomach. Toriel had warned them. Toriel was  _right_. There would be monsters who would try to kill them. But... they never knew that  _Papyrus_  would be one of the ones who would.

 _Defend yourself_ , the voice in their head whispered, its tone laced with an unreadable emotion,  _You have to kill him, or he will kill you._

What!? There was no way! Frisk couldn't... couldn't  _kill_  anyone...

Frisk tried to convince Papyrus not to fight them, using actions in place of the words they couldn't speak, and for some reason, Papyrus decided that they were trying to insult them. But, for some odd reason, he didn't seem insulted one bit.

Then there were bones coming up from the dark floor. Frisk's eyes widened, and they jumped up without a second thought. When they landed, they blinked in confusion. That hadn't been their action. They didn't make themselves jump.

Papyrus said that he was going to use his special "blue" attack. Frisk didn't want to know what that meant. They were scared, and their hands began to tremble. Flowey wasn't helping them at all. They were  _alone_.

_You're never alone._

Frisk didn't believe it.

Then, in a flash of bright light and an incredible chill, Frisk's soul fell onto the ground like it was lead, morphing into a dark blue color.

"YOU'RE BLUE NOW. THAT'S MY ATTACK," Papyrus declared proudly.

Attack. The word repeated in Frisk's head one too many times, and they stumbled back. Frisk fell back onto the floor, clenching their fists and scooting away from the skeleton. Papyrus looked surprised.

"HUMAN! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!" he asked quickly. "WE ARE NOT FINISHED WITH THIS BATTLE JUST YET!"

 **I don't want to fight I don't want to fight** , Frisk signed with shaking hands over and over again, shaking their head rapidly. They stopped in place, and tears brimmed at their eyes.

Papyrus immediately halted, his entire body stilling as he watched Frisk begin to cry.

They sobbed, wiping at their eyes as loud breathing noises escaped their throat in the form of cries. Choked sobs came out garbled, and Frisk's throat began to hurt as they rubbed at their eyes. More and more tears began to flow, and Frisk's nose became snotty.

"H-HUMAN..." Papyrus said, sounding guilty. "PLEASE DO NOT CRY!"

The voice in their head was silent, and Frisk felt more alone than ever. They hiccuped, wishing they could scream, just to let out all the frustration and pain they felt. All they wanted to do was make  _friends_  with Papyrus, and he wanted to  _kill_  them.

The dark atmosphere around them disappeared, and Frisk's soul  _poofed_  away magically. It was back to the cold, snowy tundra of Snowdin, and Frisk sniffled a bit as they removed their hands from their eyes.

Papyrus was kneeling in front of them, huge tears in his eye... sockets? Frisk blinked owlishly, and flinched when Papyrus suddenly engulfed them in a big hug and began to wail and weep loudly.

"HUMAN!" he cried. "I'M SORRY FOR MAKING YOU CRY! I DID NOT MEAN TO MAKE YOU UPSET!" His voice was genuine, and Frisk sniffed. "PLEASE DO NOT CRY ANY LONGER!"

Frisk felt Flowey on their back, and they shifted in Papyrus' arms. Their crying finally came to a halt, but their nose still felt stuffy and their wet eyes burned from the cold wind hitting them.

Papyrus magically stopped crying as well, and jumped back with a wide grin. "ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!?"

Frisk hesitated before nodding.

The skeleton let out an excited whoop. "COME ON, HUMAN!" he exclaimed, reaching out to take Frisk's hand and helping them stand. "I'LL TAKE YOU BACK TO MY PLACE! AND MAKE YOU SPAGHETTI SO YOU CAN FEEL BETTER!"

Papyrus began to walk excitedly, almost skipping in place, and he didn't let go of Frisk's hand.

 

* * *

 

Flowey was just taken aback, completely baffled by the sequence of events that just took place.

Papyrus wanted to be friends with Frisk, but couldn't due to his Royal Guard duties, and proceeded to fight them. Frisk didn't want to fight, but... oddly, Flowey could  _feel_  something deep inside Frisk—a carnal emotion, or even  _entity_ , that just wanted to  _tear_  Papyrus apart bone by bone (and he knew it wasn't  _Frisk_ ; the kid probably wasn't even  _capable_  of hating someone).

Then, when Papyrus started throwing the first shots, Frisk started crying. Papyrus felt bad, stopped the fight, and was now taking Frisk to his house with Flowey in tow.

Flowey just couldn't believe it.

"I'LL MAKE YOU ALL THE SPAGHETTI YOU WANT!" Papyrus declared loudly to Frisk, who, in return, smiled a bit as their hands tightened in Papyrus' large bony one.

Once the three (Flowey going unnoticed by Papyrus, thankfully) made it to the skeleton's house, Papyrus eagerly opened the door and held it open for Frisk. They smiled at him and slowly walked inside, taking in everything at once and basking in the great contrast of the warm temperature inside and the chill outside. Flowey felt relieved—cold wasn't really his thing.

Frisk shed Sans' blanket, making a mental note to return it later. They set it on the nearby couch, and Papyrus shut the door behind him when he stepped in. "HERE WE ARE!" he shouted, startling Frisk and making them jump. "HOME SWEET HOME!"

Papyrus practically picked up Frisk with no effort, and set them down carefully on the couch. He observed them for a second, making sure they weren't going to cry again. Once he was sure they were fine, he stood up straight and began walking towards what seemed like the kitchen. "FEEL FREE TO WATCH TV OR LOOK AROUND! I'LL BE IN THE KITCHEN COOKING UP SOME MAGNIFICENT SPAGHETTI!" Then he disappeared into the other room.

Frisk let out a small sigh, picking at their nails as they kicked their short legs back and forth. Flowey made sure the coast was clear, and he moved up to stare Frisk directly in the face.

"We should be getting to the castle," he said slowly, narrowing his eyes. He wasn't going to let his plan be swept away by letting the kid get sidetracked.

Frisk looked up, their face sullen. They shrugged, signing something with their hands before remembering that Flowey couldn't understand. The flower glanced down at their hands, and then back up at their face.

"Is that your way of talking?"

Frisk nodded.

"You make words with your hands?"

They nodded again, and noticed a conveniently-placed pen next to a conveniently-placed notepad. Flowey watched closely as Frisk signed something, and then wrote down something on the notepad before holding it out to him.

 _Yes_ , the message read.

Flowey stared. "Is that what that gesture means?"

Frisk nodded again, beaming. They made another sign, and Flowey quickly learned that it meant  _No_. As Papyrus continued cooking (his whistling was loud and almost annoying as it echoed from the kitchen), Frisk continued to teach Flowey sign after sign. Luckily, he had a great memory, and when Frisk repeated them to him to test him, he got every single one right.

Frisk looked happier than Flowey had ever seen them. They excitedly told Flowey the name of this gesture-thing.  _Sign Language_ , it was called, and there were many different kinds depending on the language of the country.

Country? Flowey was confused, but he didn't question it.

"Are there others who use this...'Sign Language'?" he asked curiously. Obviously, if Frisk knew it, they couldn't be the only one, but Flowey couldn't help asking.

Frisk nodded their head, and scribbled down on the notepad.  _Mute people like me and lots of others_ , Flowey read. He hummed once, and when he heard Papyrus coming out of the kitchen, he darted behind Frisk in a flash.

They blinked, wondering why he wanted to hide, but then Papyrus brought out a plate of spaghetti, and Frisk's stomach growled.

Frisk took the plate with a smile.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter chapter than what i wanted but hey. its here. i did it. go me.
> 
> comments are always appreciated!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick note: frisk is NOT selectively mute. they are fully mute, so they are unable to speak at all. 
> 
> also, frisk in this fic is agender, using they/them pronouns.
> 
> that's it! enjoy this chapter that was way overdue im sorry-

"hey kid, what's up?"

Frisk held out the blanket towards the shorter skeleton with a smile, silently thanking him for giving it to them. Sans stared at it for a second before his permanent grin seemed to grow wider.

"nah, you can keep it," he replied, and at Frisk's look, said, "it's fine, kid. you'll probably need it more than i do anyways. i'm a skeleton, remember?"

Frisk blinked and then nodded, wrapping the blanket around their shoulders and turning to apologize when Flowey gave a startled squeak. Sans stared at Frisk for a few moments before disappearing into the other room. Frisk watched him leave, and raised their eyebrows when he came back with a small backpack in his hands.

"here. this might help you carry stuff," he offered. Frisk took the backpack with wide, sparkling eyes, and then smiled brightly up at Sans as a thank you. They folded up the blanket carefully and placed it into the pack (as well as Flowey sneakily hiding in there), and strung it around their back.

"SANS! ARE YOU BONDING WITH THE HUMAN?" Papyrus asked as he strode into the room proudly.

The shorter skeleton looked towards his brother and snickered. "can't believe you made them cry."

Papyrus suddenly looked taken aback, and his eyes filled with tears. "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! I DIDN'T MEAN IT!"

Frisk rushed up and patted his arm, as high as they could reach. Papyrus immediately brightened, patting Frisk's head lightly, as if careful so he wouldn't harm them.

"OH! I ALMOST FORGOT!" Papyrus exclaimed suddenly, holding up his hands. Frisk watched in confusion as he held out his phone with a twinkle in his eye sockets. "I'LL GIVE YOU MY PHONE NUMBER! SO WE CAN TALK!"

Frisk blinked, making a small "oh" face in excitement as they pulled out the phone out of their back pocket. The phone they had received from... Toriel.

They felt a wave of guilt wash over them as their thought drifted back to the Ruins. Toriel  _had_  let them go so they could save the monsters, but she also looked... rather  _sad_  as she did so. She  _really_  didn't want them to leave, and now they left her all alone...

_It wouldn't be the first time._

Frisk ignored the voice in their head. They would deal with  _that_  later.

"HUMAN? ARE YOU OKAY?"

Frisk gasped silently, and then nodded quickly, blushing a bit as they realized they had been so lost in their thoughts that they hadn't accepted Papyrus' phone number. They handed their phone to Papyrus so he could punch the number in, and then experimentally called them so he could test it out.

"THERE! NOW WE CAN TALK ALL THE TIME!" Papyrus' smile was big, and Frisk matched it with one of their own.

"you're headed to the castle, right?" Sans asked from the couch, the two having forgotten he was there. "i'm sure your family must be missin' ya."

Frisk tensed, their face going pale. Sans stared in confusion, and—oddly—started to sweat. He put his hand up, unsure of what to say.

"um, kid, are you okay?"

_Don't worry. My family didn't miss me either._

This time, Frisk chose to acknowledge the voice and exhaled slowly. There was a sudden pulse of energy that shot through their body, and Frisk took the notepad and pencil from the side table, where they had left it from using it earlier.

 _I'm going to save you guys!_  they wrote, eagerly holding it out to the skeletons and waiting for their reply.

Papyrus looked absolutely thrilled, while Sans looked indifferent. But, if Frisk looked closely, they could see an odd blue light just faintly glowing in one of his eye sockets.

"whatever you say, kid. i'm rootin' for ya."

"MAYBE YOU'LL BECOME PART OF THE ROYAL GUARD LIKE ME!" Papyrus shouted, and then backtracked. "WELL, THAT IS, IF UNDYNE DECIDES TO SPARE YOU."

Frisk found themselves looking forward to seeing this Undyne person. They nodded happily at the skeletons, put the notepad back, and waved as a goodbye before exiting the home and walking towards the exit of Snowdin excitedly.

 

* * *

 

Sans picked up the notepad curiously, seeing writings on previous pages folded back. He flipped them back, and stared hard at each carefully written word.

The words  _Flowey_ and _yellow flower_  stood out among them all.

Sans' grip tightened on the notepad, and he turned to glare at the door that the human child had just exited through.

 

* * *

 

The area beyond Snowdin was surprisingly warm, and completely void of snow.

The rocky walls and floor were colored as complimenting shades of purple and violet. Water fell down in thick streams from the ceiling, glowing a unique blue color that cast light into the room. Bright objects embedded into the ground and walls were gemstones, and they glimmered with each step Frisk took. The area felt damp, and Frisk wandered through the beginning of the caverns until they reached an area with quite a few monsters standing around inside.

Including Sans, oddly enough.

They walked up to him, happy but confused. How had he gotten here so quickly?

"what, haven't you seen a guy with two jobs before?" Sans asked as if him being here was the most normal thing in the world. "fortunately, two jobs means twice as many legally-required breaks."

Frisk smiled toothily and snorted, grip tightening on the straps of their bag.

"i'm going to grillby's. wanna come?" Sans suddenly asked, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets and staring down at them. Frisk thought for a moment before nodding eagerly, their eyes sparkling.

"well, if you insist..." Sans began jokingly. "i'll pry myself away from my work..."

He stepped out from behind the booth (which, strangely, had solid snow coating the roof) and walked towards the other side of the room. "over here," he said. "i know a shortcut."

Frisk tilted their head curiously, increasing their pace to keep up with Sans as he took a few steps forward. Suddenly, everything went dark for a few moments, and it felt as if Frisk's body was splitting apart cell by cell. But there was no pain, just a strange, tingling sensation.

Then it was over, as if it had all never happened in the first place, and Sans was looking down at Frisk with an amused look. They were standing by the door to Grillby's, and Frisk had to check outside the door just to believe it.

"fast shortcut, huh?" Sans asked with a shrug. Then he turned to the patrons in the bar and grinned. "hey, everyone."

They all greeted him with a collective chorus of "Hey, Sans", and Frisk figured that he must come here a lot; he seemed to be popular with the other customers.

Sans and Frisk walked over towards the bar, the hottest place of the establishment. Grillby stared down at them, and Frisk smiled at him. If he could smile, Frisk was sure he would smile back.

"Hey San, weren't you just here for breakfast a few minutes ago?" the monster sitting on the seat to the left asked, raising their eyebrows in amusement.

"nah, i haven't had breakfast in at least half an hour," Sans replied matter-of-factly. Then he winked. "you must be thinking of brunch."

There was a distant crash of a cymbal, and the entire bar burst into laughter.

"here, get comfy," Sans said, turning to Frisk and helping them climb onto the bar stool. As soon as they sat down, the sound of a whoopee cushion being deflated echoed through the room, and Frisk gave Sans a deadpanned expression.

"whoops, watch where you sit down," he said, stifling a laugh, and climbed onto the stool next to them. "sometimes weirdos put whoopee cushions on the seats."

Frisk rolled their eyes.

"anyway, let's order. whaddaya want?"

They thought for a moment, and even though they weren't really all that hungry in the first place, they wanted to hang out with Sans and eat some good food. Deciding they've never had one, Frisk pointed to the picture of the burger on the menu.

"hey, that sounds pretty good," Sans agreed, and looked up at the flaming bartender. "grillby, we'll have a double order of burg."

Grillby didn't say anything, as usual, and left through the fire escape to go prepare their meals.

After a few moments of silence, Sans turned his head towards Frisk. "so, what do you think... of my brother?" he asked curiously.

Frisk slammed their palms against the table, startling a few patrons, and stared up at Sans with sparkling, determined eyes. They puffed out their cheeks, leaning up lightly, trying to convey their message about how cool they found Papyrus without a notepad or the use of their sign language.

Sans laughed. "of course he's cool. you'd be cool too if you wore that outfit everyday."

Frisk looked down at their (dirty) striped sweater out of instinct.

"he'd only take that thing off if he absolutely had to," Sans continued. "oh well. at least he washes it." He paused. "and by that i mean he wears it in the shower."

Frisk snorted in amusement, covering their mouth with their hand as they smiled. At that moment, Grillby walked out with two burger in his hands, and set them down in front of the two.

"here comes the grub," Sans remarked, and then held up a ketchup bottle. "want some ketchup?"

Frisk shook their head politely, and Sans shrugged, "more for me then." He proceeded to chug the entire bottle in one gulp, and Frisk stared with wide, surprised eyes.

 _I wonder where it all goes_ , said the voice in Frisk's head, and it almost could have sounded like a genuine question if not for the underlying tone that suggested that it knew exactly where all the ketchup went. Confusing.

Frisk shrugged it off, and took the warm burger in their hands. The meat was slightly charred on the edges, but Frisk ignored it and took a bite. They smiled; it was pretty good.

"anyway," Sans broke in, and Frisk swallowed, "cool or not, you have to agree papyrus tries real hard. like how he keeps trying to be part of the royal guard."

Oh. Frisk recalled Papyrus mentioning the Royal Guard loudly many, many times. They figured it must be important to him, and that he was passionate about it—like a goal or dream.

"one day, he went to the house of the head of the royal guard and begged her to let him be in it." Huh. Very passionate, apparently. "of course, she shut the door on him because it was midnight."

Frisk could imagine Papyrus running up to a large, prestigious building and banging on the door, begging and pleading to be let inside to join the Royal Guard. They could imagine the head opening the door, her angry eyes staring down at him as her body was silhouetted by the darkness of the night.

Then they could imagine Papyrus being promptly rejected as the door was slammed in his face. The thought made them sad. Surely Papyrus was strong enough.

"but the next day, she woke up and saw him still waiting there."  _Not surprising_ , Frisk thought. "seeing his dedication, she decided to give him warrior training."

Sans paused for a moment.

"it's, uh, still a work in progress."

Frisk took another bite of their burger. They thought of how afraid they had been when Papyrus decided to fight them, how hurt they had been when they thought he just wanted their soul like Toriel warned. The memory made them uneasy, and they set down their burger on the plate.

"oh yeah, i wanted to ask you something."

Frisk turned to look at Sans. He was staring straight at them. Right away, Frisk knew they weren't imagining the tension in the room, and suddenly it felt as if the two were the only ones in the room.

"have you ever heard of a talking flower?"

 _Uwah. The tables turn_ , the voice mocked dryly.

Frisk froze, their hands tugging on the straps of their bag automatically. The way his words were voiced and his intense gaze on their face made them shift in place, and wonder if they had done something wrong. They wondered if Sans was angry at them, and stared up at him with surprise.

They felt a shuffling in the bag, and something pressing against their back.

Slowly and carefully, Frisk nodded.

"so you know all about it," Sans murmured. "the echo flower. they're all over the marsh"—Frisk had remembered reading something about this somewhere; maybe in one of Toriel's books?—"say something to them, and they'll repeat it over and over."

Frisk blinked, tilting their head at him.

"what about it?" he guessed as to what they were asking, and then shrugged nonchalantly. "well, papyrus told me something interesting the other day. sometimes, when no one else is around... a flower appears and whispers things to him. flattery... advice... encouragement..."

He turned to glance at Frisk.

"...predictions. weird, huh? someone must be using an echo flower to play a trick on him. keep an eye out, ok?" Frisk nodded quickly, and Sans seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "thanks."

The tension in the room seemed to disappear, and Sans hopped off the bar stool. "welp, that was a long break. i can't believe i let ya pull me away from work for that long," he said with a grin, and Frisk rolled their eyes.

"oh, by the way..." Sans said, turning to them. "i'm flat broke. can you foot the bill? it's just 10000G."

Frisk stared at him incredulously.

Sans' grin seemed to grow wider. "just kidding," he laughed, and turned to Grillby, "grillby, put it on my tab."

He started walking towards the door, and turned around to bid Frisk farewell before exiting. Frisk watched him leave, and then climbed off the bar stool as Grillby took their plates. They stared at the door for a few moments before their face settled into a frown, and they swung off the backpack. Frisk unzipped it, held it open, and glared down at Flowey.

The flower just gave them a sheepish smile in return.

"Ahaha..." he laughed nervously. "Oops?"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter chapter than i wanted, but hey, maybe the next one will be longer.
> 
> (doubt it)  
> (im so sorry)
> 
> comments are always appreciated!! also the hit count?? ho w???


	7. Chapter 7

As soon as Frisk stepped into the next room, an unbelievable amount of tension washed over them and buried a weight on their shoulders. Flowey, whose head was poking out of the bag, looked around with a slight raise of his eyebrow—did flowers have eyebrows?—and he was seemingly affected by the abrupt tension as well.

Frisk stepped into the tall grass ahead of them, pushing aside the plants and grimacing as it tickled their face and legs. Then, hearing the sound of footsteps, they froze in place, letting the grass conceal them.

"H-HI, UNDYNE!" Papyrus' unsteady voice broke through the silence, echoing off the cavern walls. "I'M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT! UHH... REGARDING THAT HUMAN I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER."

Frisk stiffened. They could hear a few murmurs, but couldn't make out any intelligible words.

"...HUH? DID I FIGHT THEM?" Papyrus suddenly exclaimed. "Y-YES! OF COURSE I DID!" He sounded nervous, his attempt to sound proud weakening with each word. "I FOUGHT THEM VALIANTLY!"

More murmurs.

"...WHAT? DID I CAPTURE THEM?" Papyrus was quiet for a few moments. "W-W-WELL... NO. I TRIED VERY HARD, UNDYNE, BUT IN THE END... I FAILED."

Frisk momentarily wondered if Papyrus regretted sparing them. Now he would never be in the Royal Guard—not if this Undyne person found out that he had stopped fighting them as soon as they started crying. He even  _invited_  them to his house! They had his phone number!

"...W-WHAT?" Papyrus' voice broke Frisk out of their thoughts. "YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THE HUMAN'S SOUL YOURSELF?" Papyrus stammered, and Frisk heard more footsteps. "BUT UNDYNE, YOU DON'T H-HAVE TO DESTROY THEM! YOU SEE... YOU SEE..."

Silence, followed by more murmurs.

"...I UNDERSTAND. I'LL HELP YOU IN ANY WAY I CAN."

Frisk's heart dropped to their stomach, and their soft breathing was the only noise in the room. Papyrus wouldn't rat them out... right? Feeling tears burn at the corner of their eyes, Frisk took a step forward, rustling the grass.

The armored figure standing ahead immediately lifted their head, a blue spear materializing in their hand as they pointed it towards the grass. They glanced around suspiciously, and Frisk stared with wide eyes, their breath caught in their throat.

After what seemed like hours, the spear disappeared and the armored figure backed off, disappearing into the darkness.

Frisk ran out of the grass, scratching at their itchy legs, frowning at the knees covered in small cuts and bruises. Wearing shorts probably wasn't the best idea for traversing the underground.

There was a rustling behind them, and Frisk whirled around to see Monster Kid running out of the grass. Had they been there the entire time? Kid was jumping up and down and vibrating excitedly.

"Yo... did you see the way she was staring at you?"

 _Unfortunately yes_ , Frisk thought.

"That... was AWESOME! I'm SOOO jealous!" Kid laughed happily. "What'd you do to get her attention...? Haha!"

Frisk had a few ideas. Being human was one.

"C'mon!" Kid exclaimed, nudging their head towards the exit. "Let's go watch her beat up some bad guys!" Kid ran ahead of them, and promptly fell face-first onto the ground. Frisk was about to rush and help them up, but they jumped to their feet easily and disappeared into the next room.

 _Pretty quick for someone with no arms_ , said the voice, and Frisk frowned.

 _That's mean_ , Frisk said back, crossing their arms as they went in the direction that Kid had.

 _Oh? So you're finally talking back?_  the voice murmured, impressed,  _Well, it's not like you had to. And it's not as if you can even talk anyway._

Frisk bristled.  _Why are you so mean!?_

 _Some people are mean. Get over it. You'll learn someday_ , the voice replied, and it didn't even sound sorry.

Frisk huffed in anger, and Flowey stared at them with a strange expression. "...Are you okay?" he asked hesitantly, unsure of what to do.

 **Fine** , Frisk signed, not caring if he could understand them or not.

A feeling of dread hung over them, but they were going to stay determined. They had a mission after all.

 

* * *

 

Frisk flexed at Aaron dramatically, their lips pursed and fists clenched.

"You look stupid," Flowey deadpanned, but it did nothing to stop their flexing.

 

* * *

 

While trying to read the sign in the middle of the water, the flowers had floated off on the wrong side, connecting and creating a path that seemingly lead to somewhere hidden. Frisk carefully stepped on the first flower, feeling it shake slightly, and hesitated before putting their weight on it. Surprisingly, it held, and Frisk walked along the flowers until it lead them to an area with a bench and an echo flower.

Frisk set their bag down on the bench, and got in their knees to bend down and look under it. There was a lone quiche sitting underneath the bench. Frisk picked it up with a confused look, and walked over to the echo flower, hoping for an explanation.

" _I just wasn't ready for the responsibility,_ " it said.

Frisk's entire world stopped.

The quiche fell from their hands, landing on the ground with a clatter (although, surprisingly, it remained intact). Their hands trembled, clenching and unclenching as they dropped to their sides.

 _Calm down_ , the voice said, but they couldn't. They couldn't. How could anyone calm down?

"Frisk?" they heard Flowey call. That was their name. He was calling out to them, right?

Their breathing stopped, their throat tightened, their chest vibrated with a racing heart. Frisk's hands began to get clammy and sweaty, and they swayed and stumbled. They had to sit down, they were going to fall, what was  _happening?_

Nothing was real. None of this was real they were dreaming everything was  _fine_ —

_I just wasn't ready for the responsibility._

Left on a bench.

Abandoned.

Unwanted.

_Useless._

Frisk's world spun, and then it faded to blackness.

 

* * *

 

_"How many times do I have to tell you to stay put!?"_

_"ANSWER ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU."_

_"I DON'T_ CARE _WHAT THE DOCTOR SAID QUIT DOING THAT SHIT WITH YOUR HANDS."_

_"Stay here and I'll be right back, okay?"_

_"Why did you come back here when I told you to wait?"_

_"Here, we can go up to the mountain for a picnic, okay?"_

_"I just wasn't ready for the responsibility."_

 

* * *

 

Frisk opened their eyes to see Flowey staring at them, eyes wide and shocked. They sat up, blinking rapidly and feeling a burn in their eyes. They lifted their hands, wiping their cheeks and jolting in surprise when they felt tears.

 _Intense memories,_  the voice commented, but Frisk ignored it.

Flowey stared at Frisk, tilting his head. "Frisk?" he asked, his voice unsure.

Frisk took a deep breath, the contents of their dream falling out of reach, only a few words and whispers remaining. They stood up quietly, sniffling wetly and rubbing at their eyes furiously, not wanting to cry. Flowey wordlessly slipped into the bag just as Frisk slung it around their shoulders.

None of them said a thing as Frisk walked out of the room, the quiche lying by the echo flower forgotten and left behind.

Frisk finished the puzzle, ignoring the stinging on their knees and the throbbing in the back of their head. Just as they were about to pass into the next room, their phone began to ring.

"HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS!" Frisk had to pull their phone away from their ear as the loud voice made itself clear. "SO... WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?"

Frisk blinked.

"I'M... ASKING FOR A FRIEND. SHE THOUGHT SHE SAW YOU WEARING A RAGGED BACKPACK." Papyrus' voice was strange, laced with an emotion Frisk couldn't pin down. "IS THAT TRUE? ARE YOU WEARING A RAGGED BACKPACK?"

Frisk pulled the receiver away from their ear, fiddling with their fingers, unsure of how to respond.

"OH! I FORGOT YOU ARE UNABLE TO REPLY VERBALLY," Papyrus exclaimed, and Frisk let out a sigh of relief. "HOW ABOUT... TAP ONCE FOR YES AND TWO FOR NO?"

Frisk nodded, even though Papyrus couldn't see it.

"SO, I SHALL ASK AGAIN. ARE YOU WEARING A RAGGED BACKPACK?"

 _Say no_ , the voice said. But Frisk wasn't a liar, even if it meant risking their life. They tapped on the receiver once, and then awaited Papyrus' response.

"SO YOU  _ARE_  WEARING A RAGGED BACKPACK?" Frisk tapped once again. "ALRIGHT, UM, THANK YOU!"

He hung up quickly, and Frisk sighed before putting their phone away.

_You do know why he was asking, right?_

Frisk stopped in place, pondering the question. Then they nodded, but realized that the voice may be unable to see them nod. But if it was able to see anything around them, then it probably could, but—

_Then why did you say yes?_

Frisk shrugged, and then replied,  _It's always better to tell the truth._

The voice was silent as Frisk made their way into the next room.

 

* * *

 

" _A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky. If you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true. Now... all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling..._ "

Frisk looked up at said ceiling, transfixed by the lights and their eyes sparkling, dazzled by the stones that littered across the walls and ceiling in patterns. Then, they thought of the words of the echo flower, and began to feel sad. It wasn't fair. Monsters deserved to look at the stars and make wishes just as much as humans.

" _Thousands of people wishing together can't be wrong! The king will prove that._ "

Frisk remembered how, back on the surface, they used to make wish after wish after wish—begging the stars to just give them one more chance, one more shot. They were told it was stupid, that the stars couldn't make things happen.

 _Did you ever make wishes on stars?_  Frisk asked.

 _...A long time ago_ , the voice replied.

" _C'mon, sis, make a wish!_ "

Flowey poked his head out of the backpack, leaning up to stare at the sparkling stones alongside Frisk. He rolled his eyes. "They're just stones," he scoffed, unimpressed.

 **They're pretty, though** , Frisk signed.

"Sure, but they get boring after a while."

 **Do you want to see the stars?**  Frisk stared down at Flowey with a hard gaze.  **The real ones?**

Flowey was just a beginner, and wasn't all that fluent in sign language at all, but he felt like he knew what they were saying just from their stare. He avoided their eyes, and let out a slow breath, his petals fluttering.

"I guess," he finally replied. "But the dream gets old fast."

" _I wish my sister and I will see the real stars someday._ "

Frisk seemed to giggle quietly, and walked up to the telescope, twisting it up and down.  **I'll take you to see them** , they signed.  **We can watch them together.**

 _We all can,_  they said to the voice, and then it sounded like it was laughing.

Flowey shifted in place, and sunk down into the backpack a little.

"...Whatever you say."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why are all my chapters so sHORT
> 
> im sorry
> 
> im planning for the next update to be christmas but considering its me idk if that'll be possible
> 
> so if i dont make it merry christmas and if you don't celebrate christmas then i hope you have a good holiday!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO THOSE WHO DON'T CELEBRATE IT
> 
> ARE YOU ENJOYING WINTER BREAK? BECAUSE I AM
> 
> (also canonically, characters who use they/them in the game include: Frisk, Chara, Napstablook, and Monster Kid. so all your favs are nonbinary sorry not sorry)

Ancient writing covered the walls. Frisk could just barely make out the words.

_The War of Humans and Monsters_

Toriel had told them about this, about how the humans won and monsters were sealed underground. Above ground, on the surface, it had been covered up—Frisk had never heard of it. Though, they figured others probably have, since Frisk hadn't exactly been a privileged child with many things to explore.

 _Huh. Things must have changed up there_ , the voice commented, and Frisk blinked in realization that the voice must also be from the surface.

 **Are you a human?** they signed out of reflex, and then prepared to mentally voice their question when they realized that the voice might not be able to understand them.

 _No_ , was all the voice replied, and Frisk let the subject go.

They moved onto the next set of inscriptions.

_Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed that they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong._

_It would take the soul of nearly every monster... just to equal the power of a single human soul._

Whoa. Were humans really _that_ strong? Frisk was aware of human souls and everything... but they never knew that they were far stronger than one of a monster.

_But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their soul. Its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death. If a monster defeats a human, they can take its soul._

_A monster with a human soul..._ _a horrible beast with unfathomable power._

A wave of discomfort washed over Frisk, unsure of where it had originated from. The voice was dead silent; Frisk couldn't hear a thing. They wondered if the writings on the wall were bothering them, so they decided to move on out of the kindness of their heart.

Before Frisk could pass by, however, their eyes caught an illustration of a strange creature beside the writings. They felt caught by it, and stared for what seemed like forever. It was unsettling, and Frisk felt uneasy as their stomach churned.

Flowey's head popped out of the bag, annoyed by the halt, but his gaze softened once he saw the illustration. He began to look uncomfortable, and nudged Frisk's face with his stem to try and make them get a move on.

 _Can we go already!?_ the voice demanded, close to a growl, and Frisk jumped in shock. They nodded, tearing their eyes away from the picture, and walked right on past it.

 

* * *

 

 _Are you mad at me?_ Frisk said the voice.

There was no response. Frisk shifted, guilt settling heavily.

Flowey sighed, twisting his leaves around as he looked upwards. A glimmer of blue caught his eye, and he blanched. "Oh, shi—"

A sharp, bright blue spear pierced the ground directly in front of Frisk, just missing them and cutting off Flowey. The flower ducked back into the backpack, and Frisk looked around frantically, their heart pounding.

The armored figure appeared once more, seemingly out of nowhere. More spears materialized out of thin air, and Frisk figured that the warrior must be using magic of some kind.

Three more spears came charging at them, and Frisk let out a frightened huff as they ducked, throwing their arms over their face. The spears just barely missed them, and Frisk could feel the blow of wind as the spears pierced through the air. The armored figure wasn't giving up, however, and five spears rained down towards them.

" _Run_ , you idiot!" Flowey hissed.

Frisk's eyes widened, and they scrambled to their feet, turning the corners on the bridge and internally cursing whoever built it for the unnecessary turns. Nearly falling off the edge, Frisk gasped, their throat burning, and jumped across one gap. Their foot landed in the water, and they climbed back onto their feet, rolling to the left to dodge another set of spears.

 _You are hopeless_ , the voice sighed, _Here, let me save your ass._

It was as if something was protruding through their body. Frisk tensed up, and it was like their soul was being pushed back—way far back—into the depths of their mind. Something—or someone—was pushing itself into their form, wearing their body like a glove and fitting into the sleeves.

Frisk felt like they were watching from a different point of view, and they were surrounded by darkness. Their body was moving, quickly, sturdily, dodging each spear and running like there was no tomorrow—but it wasn't _them_. They weren't moving. Something else was _controlling_ them.

Their body sprinted, kicking off their feet and springing off the edge, leaping through the air like they were dancing, swiftly landing on two feet. Their body leaned back suddenly, as if they were snapping in half, and a single spear surged past them, cutting their cheek slightly and rippling their sweater. Their body jumped back up, using the sleeve of the sweater to wipe at the blood, and ran past the doorway into the next hall of the caverns.

Frisk fought against the darkness, kicking and fighting and struggling, until they were dancing into their body all the way onto the ground in the middle of a large patch of grass. They groaned, spitting out dirt and brushing off their clothes.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the cavern, and Frisk froze in place. They could hear and feel something behind them, but they didn't dare move. There was a large crash, and Frisk slowly turned their head to see Monster Kid's feet dangling above the ground. Kid was suddenly dropped, and Frisk saw armored boots disappear out of the grass.

They saw Kid's eyes light up, and crawled out of the grass. Frisk stood, brushing off their clothes with a grimace after they noticed how dirty they had become, sneezing when they felt dust crawl up their nose.

"Bless you!" Monster Kid exclaimed as they charged out of the grass excitedly. "Did you see that!? Undyne just... TOUCHED ME!" they cried, jumping up and down in place, and for a moment Frisk thought they might pass out from exhilaration. "I'm never washing my face ever again!"

Frisk giggled silently, and Kid turned to them with a pitiful smile. "Man, are you unlucky. If you were standing just a _little_ bit to the left...!" Kid let out a small sigh, and then skipped up towards Frisk. "Yo, don't worry, I'm sure we'll see her again!"

Frisk gave a nod just to make them happy, and Monster Kid beamed before taking off (but not without falling on their face in the process—they seemed to do that a lot). Frisk watched them leave with a wave, and then let their hand drop with a small frown once they were alone.

The only sound in the room was the faint dripping of water against ground.

They walked into the next room, noticed the cheese encased in crystal and wondered if the mouse would ever find it, they stopped. Frisk sat onto the floor, leaning against the damp cavern wall, tucking their knees to their chest. They thought back to the spears, and then to the voice.

 _Was that you?_ Frisk asked, even if the answer was obvious.

 _Yes_ , the voice replied instantaneously, and before Frisk was even able to ask why, said, _You're weak. I had to step in or else you were going to be killed over and over._

 _...I'm not weak_ , Frisk protested.

 _Don't try to argue with me_ , the voice snapped, as if it were superior to them. Frisk stiffened at the tone instinctively, their fists clenching and throat tightening. They thought to say more, but didn't move a muscle, cowering and trying to make themselves seem smaller even if there was no one else in the room.

 _Relax_. The voice's tone seemed softer now, almost apologetic (or about as apologetic as it could get). _You need to learn to get go of the past. It's not like I know what happened, but I can grasp an idea. It's not like whatever hurt you can hurt you again._

Frisk felt themselves get angry, despite their thankfulness. _You have no idea what it was like_ , they spat, feeling tears prickle at their eyes.

 _I don't_ , the voice said, unfazed. _But I'm sure I can relate on some level._

Frisk took a deep breath, sniffled, and wiped away the tears that were beginning to fall. The tears cleaned up a bit of the dirt that remained stuck on their face, but when Frisk wiped it away, it only smeared.

 _Crybaby_ , the voice called, but it didn't sound insulting—almost like it was reminiscing.

 

* * *

 

Flowey wasn't sure what to feel about the human at this point.

When they first fell, he could've sworn that they were Chara. Similar style, similar color soul, similar age. But when the human toddled up, introducing themselves as "Frisk", Flowey began to have second thoughts. Then the human stormed through each area by being _nice_ to every monster they came across, even going out of their way to make him come along with them in their journey to "save all monsters".

Ugh.

He often had to remind himself why he was willingly going along with them instead of killing them like he had first planned. He was going to take the seven human souls King Asgore already had hidden away, and then take Frisk's soul so he could have total control over the timeline.

But... then what?

No, he knew. He was going to get Chara back. Right. They were going to be together forever, and Flowey didn't have to be alone anymore.

But the more Flowey watched Frisk through their journey, the more he began to wonder, _Is this really Chara?_

Familiarity was everywhere, and Flowey couldn't shake the feeling he got whenever he looked at Frisk. He always saw Chara in their eyes. He always saw Chara grinning down at him, his memories torturing him with each look Frisk gave him.

It was _hell_.

The most recent event that sparked his memories was the time with the head of the Royal Guard and the spears. Frisk had been so clumsy, so weak, and then suddenly they were dodging and running and flipping like it was nothing.

Flowey had only dared to look out of the backpack once during that time. He had looked at Frisk's face, ready to ask what exactly was going on. But something stopped him. Something stopped him from saying a word, and caused him to silently sink back down into the backpack and not say anything for the rest of the event.

Frisk's eyes had been red.

 

* * *

 

Sans was in the next room, surprisingly. Frisk could only wonder how he got there—probably through the use of another one of his "shortcuts".

Frisk walked up to him happily, smiling despite the redness surrounding their eyes and the dirt caked onto their skin and clothes. Sans stared at them for a few moments, as if taking in their appearance, and chuckled lightly.

"i'm thinking about getting into the telescope business," he said, patting the telescope beside him. "it's normally 50000G to use this premium telescope... but, since i know you, you can use it for free. howzabout it?"

Frisk rolled their eyes with a smile, walking up to the telescope as Sans stepped aside to let them use it. They stood on their toes, pulling down the scope as much as they could. They could barely see in there, due to their height, and flinched when they felt Sans hook his hands under their arms and lift them up.

They nodded as as a thank you, and eagerly looked through the telescope. Their vision was filled with red, and Frisk felt slightly disappointed when Sans let them down. Frisk looked up at him with a frown, and Sans looked like he was trying to bite down a laugh.

"huh? you aren't satisfied?" he said, then winked. "don't worry. i'll give you a full refund."

Frisk huffed, puffing out their cheeks.

"You're more gullible than I thought," Flowey commented quietly from the backpack, and Frisk blinked in confusion before walking up to the water to look at their reflection. There was a ring of red surrounded their eye, and Frisk sent a deadpanned look at Sans (who just shrugged at them, like always).

 

* * *

 

The glowing swamp was most likely the prettiest thing Frisk had ever seen. The grass on the ground was dark, complimenting the water and making it glow even brighter. The air seemed to ring and chirp with a pleasant sound, and it smelled like mint.

Frisk smiled as their boots crunched along the grass, and curiously wandered up to a lone echo flower sitting by the waterside.

" _So? Don't you have any wishes to make?_ "

The next flower, sitting a little ways away from the first, seemed to continue the conversation.

" _...hmm, just one, but... It's kind of stupid._ "

The calmness of the area was broken when a loud ringtone suddenly broke through the silence, making Frisk jump in surprise and frown when they realized that it was their phone. They sent a silent sorry to seemingly nothing, and put the phone to their ear.

"HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS!" Of course. "REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED YOU ABOUT BELONGINGS? WELL, THE FRIEND WHO WANTED TO KNOW... HER OPINION OF YOU IS VERY... MURDERY."

Frisk blinked.

"WELL, WORRY NOT DEAR HUMAN! PAPYRUS WOULD NEVER BETRAY YOU!" Then he sighed. "WOWIE... THIS IS HARD. I JUST WANT TO BE EVERYBODY'S FRIEND!"

He hung up, and Frisk stared at the phone before letting out a slow breath and stuffing it in their pocket.

 _His compassion will be his downfall_ , the voice commented.

Frisk tilted their head in confusion. _What do you mean?_

The voice didn't reply.

Frisk saw another echo flower, and skipped over to it.

" _Don't say that! Come on, I promise I won't laugh._ "

They couldn't see any more flowers around, and felt disappointed at the fact that they might never be able to hear what the person's wish was. Frisk frowned, dejected, and wandered up to another inscription on the wall near a pathway.

_The power to take their souls. This is the power that the humans feared._

So the humans had just attacked without warning, and for this reason? Ridiculous.

 _Humans are stupid_ , the voice murmured, and Frisk felt themselves agreeing.

 

* * *

 

Shyren, a strange fish-like creature with long hair, was hiding in a corner. Frisk walked up to her with curiosity, and smiled at her, wondering if she would smile back. Instead, Shyren got quieter, and Frisk felt guilty for putting her on the spot.

"... hum hum," Shyren mumbled softly, and Frisk could hear her whistling a small tune.

Frisk wished they could hum with her, and fumbled for a bit on what to do. Suddenly, they got an idea, and opened their backpack to look down at Flowey.

"Huh? What do you want?" he asked, annoyed.

Frisk pointed to Shyren, who was slowly leaning back against the corner shyly. Flowey stared, confused, and looked back and forth between Frisk and Shyren. He gave them a look, and Frisk rolled their eyes.

 **Hum with her** , they signed, smiling a bit.

"...Why do I have to do it?" Flowey grumbled, narrowing his eyes.

Frisk tapped their fingers against their neck, gesturing to the fact that they were unable to speak, or sing, or hum. Flowey blinked, staring at Frisk's neck, and then sighed before turning to face Shyren.

He had _killed_ this monster many times before, and now he was going to _hum_ with it!? Ridiculous.

 _This is going to be_ _hilarious_ , the voice mocked, but Frisk ignored it.

Flowey felt a strange sense of embarrassment as he hummed slightly, his voice almost cracking as he—blushed?

Shyren seemed to brighten, humming a funky melody that Flowey matched. After a few notes, she seemed much more comfortable singing along. Flowey growled to himself, turned to glare at Frisk, and spat, "Never make me do that again."

Frisk just smiled at him.

 

* * *

 

_This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's soul._

_When a monster dies, its soul disappears. And an incredible power would be needed to take the soul of a living monster._

Frisk couldn't help but feel a strange sense of foreshadowing.

_There is only one exception. The soul of a special species of monster called a "Boss Monster"._

_A Boss Monster's soul is strong enough to persist after death... if only for a few moments._

_A human could absorb this soul. But this has never happened._

_And now it never will._

Frisk frowned, feeling an emotion they couldn't decipher flow through their body. The words were familiar, the events it described were familiar. The voice was silent, but Frisk could feel its amusement as they read the words.

They wandered past a statue that was being rained on by water from above, although its feet seemed dry. In the next room was a set of umbrellas, and Frisk got the unnecessary idea to pick one up, a green one, and rush back to the statue.

"Really," Flowey deadpanned as Frisk opened the umbrella, staring up at the statue.

They hesitated, but placed the umbrella atop the statue. And as soon as they did, a music box seemingly within the statue began to play a familiar tune. Frisk's hands froze in place, their grip tightening.

Flowey's eyes were wide. The voice in their head had stopped its amusement radiation.

The tune continued, and Frisk felt like crying.

They didn't know why.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didnt get much for christmas but hey. at least i have fanfiction.
> 
> comments are always appreciated!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A WONDERFUL WAY TO KICK OFF THE NEW YEAR EHH?
> 
> ENJOY KIDS!

Frisk uncomfortably scratched at their stomach, grunting a little and frowning at the slight pain. The hand holding the umbrella over their head faltered a bit, and a few drops of water splattered onto their head, startling them and making them straighten up.

"Yo, you got an umbrella?" Monster Kid suddenly asked, materializing in the small space off to the side where there was an overhead shield from the rain (even if it wasn't _technically_ rain). They didn't wait for a reply and immediately ran over to stand under it with them, "Awesome! Let's go!"

Frisk just smiled, forgetting about the stomach pain, and made sure Monster Kid was completely underneath the umbrella before they started walking. Even though their sleeve and shoulder were getting wet, they didn't mind. They liked the rain, anyway—or sometimes, at least. It got annoying when it morphed into a big storm.

There were puddles on the ground, and Monster Kid took the liberty of stopping to splash in each one. Frisk hesitated, not wanting to get their boots dirty, but then they took a look at the rest of themself and decided to join them. They splashed a bit until the bottom of Frisk's shorts were soaking wet, and continued to walk.

It wasn't until they almost turned the corner that Frisk looked down into the puddles.

"Man, Undyne is _sooooo_ cool!" Monster Kid began, but Frisk wasn't listening. They were too busy staring down at their reflection in the water—

—or, rather, _someone else's_ reflection.

The figure looking back at them had no eyes. Their face was shielded by shadows, but the rest of them was crystal clear. Messy, unruly, red-brown hair that stuck up almost everywhere adorned the top of their head. They were dressed in a green-and-yellow striped sweater and brown pants, as well as dark shoes.

Frisk couldn't help but feel that this person looked familiar, even though they never recalled seeing them before. They looked like a child, oddly enough, perhaps around the same age as themself.

"If I was human, I would wet the bed every night..." Monster Kid continued, still rambling about how cool Undyne was. At their voice, Frisk tore their gaze away from the reflection and looked at them. "... knowing she was gonna beat me up!" Monster Kid finished with a laugh, and Frisk gave them a strange look. Did they not know Frisk was human, or were they making an example?

The pair turned the corner, and this time Monster Kid insisted on Frisk getting the umbrella when they noticed that their sweater was getting wet. Frisk refused at first, but Monster Kid persisted, and so it was Frisk with the most covering over their heads.

They walked further, and Frisk noticed that Monster Kid had stopped, staring at the echo flower across the gap. They backtracked, walking back to them and looking at the flower in confusion.

"So, one time," Monster Kid said, and Frisk prepared themself for a story, "we had a school project where we had to take care of a flower. The king—we had to call him 'Mr. Dreemurr'—volunteered to donate his own flowers. He ended up coming to school and teaching the class about responsibility and stuff. That got me thinking... YO! How _cool_ would it be if _Undyne_ came to school!? She could beat up _all_ the teachers!"

Frisk blinked, staring at them, and Monster Kid pursed their lips for a moment.

"Umm, maybe she wouldn't beat up the teachers," they said once they started to walk again. "She's too cool to ever hurt an innocent person!"

They beamed, their eyes sparkling, and Frisk began to wonder if Undyne was a bad person at all. Sure, she was trying to kill them and almost had _succeeded_ if it weren't for the voice helping them out, but maybe they could convince her... _not_ to kill them?

"Yo, so, why don't you ever talk?" Monster Kid suddenly asked, and Frisk jolted at the question.

Monster Kid tilted their head in confusion, and Frisk fumbled with their fingers for a moment before sheepishly tapping their neck. Kid looked perplexed, and Frisk let out a soft sigh before drawing an invisible X on across their throat.

"...Um... so, you can't speak?" they guessed, and Frisk nodded. "Yo, sorry 'bout that. There's a lot of monsters here who can't talk!"

Frisk smiled, silently assuring them that it was alright.

They walked out of the cavern, and Frisk instantly stopped in place, looking up to marvel at the scenery. Monster Kid ran up ahead, but Frisk didn't notice. They were too busy admiring the sparkling ceiling and the dancing lights of the crystals. The room was dark, and Monster Kid was but a shadow when Frisk wandered up to them. They were watching the castle with a look of admiration. Frisk turned to stare, eyeing the castle with a strange sense of anticipation.

That was where King Asgore resided, according to the citizens of the underground. Frisk almost felt... afraid. They didn't want to fight anyone.

The voice inside their head let out a harsh snicker at their thoughts.

Flowey popped out from the backpack, and looked at the castle with a frown. "Tch," he muttered. "Petty king."

Frisk and Monster Kid moved onto the next room, where Frisk put the umbrella way despite the continuous rain. There was a large ledge up ahead, and Frisk and Monster Kid both looked up with a frown. They were too short to even think about trying to climb it.

"Yo, you wanna see Undyne, right?" Monster Kid asked, turning to them with a smile. "Climb on my shoulders."

Frisk blinked owlishly, staring at them with wide eyes. They lifted their hands, about to sign with disbelief and doubt, but Monster Kid shook their head and nudged them towards them with their spikes.

They hesitated, for they were very clumsy and unbalanced, but Frisk hesitantly climbed onto their back and jumped onto the ledge. They had trouble pulling themselves up, but Flowey helped ever so slightly by using his vines to keep them balanced on the edge. Frisk shakily climbed to their feet, and turned around to help the other up, but Monster Kid grinned.

"You go on ahead!" they called, and Frisk let their hand drop. "Don't worry about me! I always find a way to get through!"

They ran off, and Frisk shrugged in agreement.

 _I almost forgot how clumsy you are_ , the voice commented dryly, and Frisk just pouted.

_...I'm not THAT clumsy._

_Yes you are._

Frisk huffed and didn't argue any further. _Do you know who the reflection in the puddle was?_ they asked instead.

The voice gave off the impression of a nod, but it didn't say anything back.

 

* * *

 

_The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly and without mercy._

Frisk stared up at the words with a sad, vague expression, and the strange pain in their stomach returned. They put a hand over it, groaning and almost hunching over. There was a serene sound of a distant music box filling their ears, mixed with the soft patter of water against ground, and the crunch of their walking as they stepped forward. Frisk's hand trembled as another sharp pain flashed through their body and gave them cold chills, but they were determined to charge forward.

_In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak._

_Not a single soul was taken, and countless monsters turned to dust..._

Frisk momentarily wondered why each set of words were placed so far away from each other, but then their eyes focused on the final sentence, and their throat tightened.

Dust.

They looked down at their hands, and for a moment, could almost feel something soft and ashy coating them—sticking between their fingers and dirtying their clothes and fingernails.

They didn't like it.

More pains in their stomach returned, and Frisk forced themself to walk across the bridge despite their legs turning to jelly and the urge to lay down barking at them. Flowey popped out from the backpack and noticed their struggle.

"What's wrong with your tummy?" he asked, cocking his head curiously. He didn't sound concerned in the slightest, but Frisk gestured to their stomach nonetheless. Flowey stared for a few moments, and then blinked. "Does it hurt?"

Frisk nodded.

"Huh," Flowey murmured, and then leaned back a little. "It must be from all that running. You ate irregularly, right?"

Frisk gave him a confused look, and Flowey suddenly looked embarrassed. He spluttered out a few words lamely, and directed his attention to anywhere but Frisk. "A-Ah, it's just, um, I remember... someone getting tummy aches all the time because of how they ate... and how they worked themself afterwards..."

 _Pfft_ , the voice snickered, obviously amused.

Frisk smiled at him, patting his petals affectionately. Oddly enough, his face turned red, and he darted back into the backpack with an annoyed huff. Frisk laughed silently, but regretted it when the movement caused their stomach to churn again.

 _Ouch_ , said the voice, and Frisk perked up.

 _Can you feel it too?_ they asked curiously, and the voice scoffed as if the question was obvious.

_Of course I can._

_But... aren't you just a voice in my head?_

_You wound me_ , the voice sighed dramatically, and Frisk envisioned a grey figure draping themself strikingly across an expensive, plush, red couch. _I'm much more than that._

Frisk blinked in confusion, and tilted their head. _Then... what are you?_

 _That is a question to be answered another time_ , the voice replied sternly, and then let out an echo-y sigh. _Heads up, we got Undyne right underneath us._

 _Huh!?_ Frisk jumped in surprise, looking downwards and over the bridge to see a bridge beneath it, and the armored figure was standing right there. Multiple beams of light appeared all around Frisk, and all of a sudden there were magic spears protruding through, one almost piercing straight through Frisk.

"Uh oh," came Flowey's muffled voice from the backpack, and Frisk blanched as the lights appeared directly underneath their feet. They were frozen, unwilling to move as fear took its place, but once they heard a whirring sound, Frisk squeezed their eyes shut and began running.

 _You need me for this one too?_ the voice asked quickly just as Frisk just barely dodged another spear. Frisk didn't reply, too focused on running as fast as they could.

More lights appeared, this time a greater amount that surrounded them altogether in a terrifying circle. Frisk stopped, waiting for them to pass through, and then hurried along the bridge.

The bridge was winding and long, turning in many directions with misleading paths and dead ends. Frisk had nearly stumbled into a gap, but they used a spear to leap across the gap and land on the other side. The voice was amazed at their grace, but blamed it on luck when Frisk faceplanted onto the floor a second later. They groaned, shakily lifting themself off the ground with their arms, and their eyes widened at the sight of more and more lights—spears just waiting to pierce through them.

" _MOVE!_ " Flowey urged, suddenly appearing next to them, and Frisk sniffled as they forced themself to scurry off the ground and shuffle along the bridge, nearly tripping in the process and using their hands to push themself back up.

More and more lights, spots dancing across their vision, the path ahead of them becoming blurry and harder and harder to focus, spears suddenly appearing in front of them and rippling through the air—

 _Go right!_ the voice ordered, and Frisk did just the opposite in the panic. It lead them to stand directly underneath a light, and Frisk inhale sharply as they jumped just as the spear came crashing through. The blade of the spear sliced their leg, creating a cut that wasn't all that deep, but drew blood nonetheless. A bead of red trickled down their leg as they collapsed onto their back, and Frisk felt like crying. They sniffled, wiping at their nose with their sleeve as they hastily climbed back to their feet.

They could hear Undyne growling in frustration from below, and Frisk tensed up as a large circle of lights materialized around them. They stopped, waiting for the spears to protrude, but they didn't. They waited, but they still didn't.

Undyne was waiting for something.

Frisk gulped, their knees buckling as they forced themself to stay rooted on their feet.

More lights appeared, trapping Frisk in an even smaller circle. More and more and more, until there was only one small space for Frisk to stay. They let out a broken whimper, feeling tears filling their eyes. If Undyne decided to unleash all the spears at once, they were certain to die.

 _Go_ , the voice said, but Frisk shook their head frantically.

_Now! Go!_

_I... I can't._

_NOW!_

The inhuman growl made Frisk more terrified than anything, and they obediently followed the voice's orders and jumped over all the rows of lights before landing on the ground past them. The spears were unleashed as soon as they were in the air, and Frisk had felt their presence just centimeters away from their back, but then they were gone by the time they had landed, and Frisk almost started bawling.

They ran and ran until they were in a large, open platform with more room to dodge. They ran into the next room, hoping it was a safe haven, but more and more lights just kept appearing as the room began dimmer and smaller. Frisk felt trapped, and their eyes widened once they reached a dead end. The lights had stopped, but Frisk felt something moving behind them.

Frisk slowly turned around, and hesitated before walking back. They couldn't sit here forever, they had to go—

Undyne was standing right there, waiting for them.

Frisk stopped, covering their mouth with their hands and jumping back. Undyne's expression was impossible to see; it was covered by armor and the metallic shine as the light danced off the material made Frisk shiver with trepidation.

There was another loud sound, almost like a crash, and a multitude of spears rained down from above and pierced through the bridge, just between Undyne and Frisk. They blinked in confusion, wondering why she hadn't gone for them, but then they felt the bridge begin to shake and tremble, and Frisk wished they could scream just to let all of the pain and fear out.

The bridge collapsed, and Frisk fell.

 

* * *

 

_"It sounds like it came from over here..."_

_"Oh! You've fallen down... haven't you?"_

_"Are you okay? Here, get up..."_

_"... Chara, huh? That's a nice name."_

_"... My name is..."_

 

* * *

 

They awoke in a patch of golden flowers.

There was a waterfall, as well as scattered bridge pieces across the water. Frisk sat up, feeling the petals below their hands, and winced at the sharp pain blossoming through their body and sharpening their nerves. They looked around in confusion, holding their head and trying to recollect what exactly happened.

 _Undyne broke the bridge in an attempt to kill you_ , the voice offered, and Frisk groaned at the echo that pounded their head. The voice seemed to reel back, and it hesitated. _Oops._ Frisk felt as if it wanted to say more, but stopped itself.

Frisk's eyes widened in realization—they had landed on their back, onto the backpack, and Flowey was still in there. They nearly ripped it from their shoulders and flipped it open, digging through the blanket and various food items until they saw a flicker of yellow. They let out a sigh of relief when Flowey popped out his head from the back with an annoyed frown.

"That hurt, y'know," he grumbled, and Frisk just grinned. Flowey blinked at them, and then leaned down as if to get a better look at them. "What's with your tooth?"

Frisk stopped smiling, and opened their mouth to reach inside and feel around, looking at Flowey for confirmation. "The sharp one on the left," he said, and when Frisk's finger brushed it, it wiggled. "See! It's moving!"

They laughed silently, shaking their head and wiggling the tooth deliberately as they leaned in front of the flower. He scooted back in disgust, "Stop that! It's gross!"

Frisk smiled. **I'm just losing a tooth** , they signed.

Flowey stared. "I don't know what the last one means."

Frisk tried again, but instead of using the sign for _tooth_ , they pointed to the loose tooth in their mouth.

Flowey looked befuddled, and let out a sigh. "I don't _get_ it. How can you _lose_ that tooth when it's right there?"

The voice in their head burst into laughter, and Frisk chortled slightly. The tooth wasn't loose enough to pull out, but they could feel that it would be soon.

The flower huffed. "But... you're older than 2... right?" Then he frowned. "How old _are_ you anyway?"

Frisk held up nine fingers.

Flowey's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to say something, but gently let it close instead. He looked taken aback, and surprised, but Frisk didn't question it—they had a sense of telling when someone didn't want to be talked to or questioned (it stemmed from early childhood, after all).

 _You almost could have gotten severely injured_ , the voice said, and its echo didn't hurt Frisk as much anymore. _Though... I suppose that's what Undyne was going for._

 _Are you worried about me?_ Frisk asked cheekily.

The voice scoffed. _Sure. I'm worried about your body, but not you in general._

_...What does THAT mean?_

The voice just laughed at them instead of replying. Frisk rolled their eyes and led Flowey back into the backpack before climbing to their feet. They brushed themself off, frowning at the sight of multiple cuts and bruises and the dirt on their clothes. They hadn't been planning to get _this_ beaten up, but they supposed it was a better alternative than what they were used to.

The air smelled like trash, and Frisk covered their nose with their sleeve as their face scrunched up in disgust. It wasn't _that_ bad to where it was suffocating them, but it was still unpleasant. Frisk much preferred the delicious smell of a freshly-baked pie than the smell of garbage.

_...Toriel._

Frisk still regretted making her so upset. Their head had been pounding the entire time when they left, and even though she let them go willingly, they could see the hurt and worry behind her warm gaze.

They took out their phone and dialed Toriel's number. But there was no response.

They dialed Papyrus' number out of curiosity, and held the phone to their ear.

"SAY HELLO TO A TALKING FLOWER FOR ME!" he declared after Frisk had somewhat explained the situation to him. "FLOWERS ARE OUR BEST FRIENDS!" Then he hung up.

Frisk put the phone away and saw Flowey glowering off into space. They grinned, poking at his petals and rubbing. He jerked away, and huffed.

"Don't touch me," he muttered, and Frisk complied instantly. They knew the feeling.

They took a step forward onto the broken bridge, and was surprised to see that it held their weight. There wasn't much pieces, however, and Frisk would have to walk through the water in order to continue forward.

They couldn't swim.

Frisk shifted uncomfortably before dipping one of their feet into the water. It was surprisingly warm, and even though the water spilled into their shoes and soaked them, they figured the water would at least clean them off a little. They dropped into the water, and were relived to see that it was only waist-deep.

Frisk trudged through the water, the force of the current pushing them forward at a much faster pace than what they preferred. There was a platform up head, in front of a waterfall, and Frisk climbed onto it to catch their breath. The current of the water had pushed against them, making them breathless and tired.

"Weakling," Flowey scoffed, although he didn't sound annoyed.

Frisk looked over at the waterfall, and just watched it flow for a moment.

 _The waterfall here seems to flow from the ceiling of the cavern_ , the voice noted as Frisk looked up. _Occasionally, a piece of trash will flow through... and fall into the bottomless abyss below._ It suddenly took a grim turn, and Frisk blinked in surprise. _An endless cycle of worthless garbage..._

Frisk felt as if it were an analogy of some kind. They toyed with the hem of their sweater, trying to think of something to say. The silence was comfortable, though, with the added sound of water flowing all kinds of different directions. Frisk let out a slow breath, dipping back into the water again.

There were multiple items in the water and trash, including food bars (which Frisk was going to put in their bag, but the voice commented on how long they had probably been there), an old desktop, a rusted bike, and an anime case with claw marks decorating the cover.

Frisk could only wonder what kind of people had thrown stuff down here.

They wandered past a training dummy that looked similar to the one in the Ruins. Frisk stared at it for a moment, but decided to move along towards what seemed like an exit.

Then there was a splashing sound and the training dummy was suddenly hovering in front of them with an angry expression.

"Hahaha... too intimidated to fight me, huh!?" it demanded, shaking with rage. "I am a ghost that lives inside a dummy. My cousin used to live inside a dummy, too. Until..." It paused for dramatic effect. "... _YOU_ CAME ALONG!"

Frisk stared in confusion, sharing glances with Flowey as they both looked up at the dummy, wondering where it was going to go with this.

"When you talked to them, they thought they were in for a nice chat... But the things you said _SAID_...! Horrible. Shocking! _UNBELIEVABLE_!" It was nearly about to blow, its body turning red with vexation. "It spooked them right out of their dummy! HUMAN! I'll scare your soul right out of your body!"

Frisk took a step back. Another monster trying to kill them.

Frisk inhaled deeply, feeling their soul begin to tremble inside them, trying to break free. There was a sudden light, and it was hovering in front of them, just below their chin. Frisk shifted; this was _exactly_ like the fight with Papyrus (if you could even call it a fight).

From in their head, the voice seemed to perk up. _Mad Dummy blocks the way!_ it exclaimed excitedly.

"Foolish. Foolish! FOOLISH!" the dummy screamed at them, and Frisk stumbled backwards. There was no floor beneath them, nor any walls around them. It was a black, never-ending space, and Frisk could only wonder how this was possible.

Magic, they assumed, and they weren't using the term sarcastically.

 _Fight it_ , the voice ordered, and while Frisk was used to doing everything it said, they gaped at its suggestion.

_No! I could hurt it!_

The voice scoffed, like they were stupid. _That's the point._

Frisk couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity. _Wh—No! I could never!_

They could almost _hear_ the grin in the voice's words. _Then I'll do it for you._

Their eyes widened in realization, and suddenly it felt as if they were being pushed back. It was like the water current, strong and powerful and unyielding. Frisk panicked, stomping forward and using all of their might to keep themself rooted in place. They would _not_ stand down. They would _not_ let it control them. They would _not_ hurt anyone, and _nobody_ was going to die because of them.

They heard the voice laughing at them, whispering to them to let it in—let it corrupt their soul and their being and their mind and everything they stood for. They shook their head frantically, and it was like they were batting a pair of invisible hands away from their body and their hands balled into fists and they were fighting it and fighting it and fighting it—

_I'm done playing games._

It was like something picked them up off the ground and tossed them back at an incredible speed. Frisk felt themself losing control of their body, and they jumped up, ready to fill in the holes, but then something else did.

The hands holding the stick rose once the dummy was finished yelling at them. Apparently, during its fury, it had become corporeal with its body and was smiling and thanking them for all their help.

... and then they slashed the stick across it, and they were _smiling_.

Flowey, who had been forced into the battle, looked taken aback and absolutely clueless. But then he took one look at their face and he crumpled back into the backpack silently.

 _NO!_ Frisk screamed, batting their hands against the barrier that separated whatever the voice was and them.

The dummy's eyes widened as soon as it was hit, and it fell apart into ashes. There was a surge inside Frisk, and they felt _disgusted_ and _pathetic_ and _weak_. They thought that they were going to regain control but the voice persisted, continued to wear their body like a glove, covering themself in the dummy's dust as if it were something to be _proud_ of.

 _No..._ Frisk whimpered, shaking their head and curling into a ball. _N-No... NO! I WANT TO GO BACK!_

The voice laughed and laughed, the sound surrounding all around Frisk and filling their ears and their body and skin and all around.

_STOP! I WANT TO GO BACK! I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE!_

The world went black.

 

* * *

 

Frisk opened their eyes and they were standing in front of the waterfall, panting and catching their breath.

They blinked in confusion—hadn't they _just_ been here?

There was a sudden spark of wrath inside them, and it took them a moment to realize that it was the presence in their head releasing it. Suddenly, the memories came back, and Frisk released their own wave of ire.

 _You..._ the two both said at the same time.

 _You killed it_ , Frisk said. _You forcefully threw me back and KILLED it..._

 _I could've gone back and destroyed everything in my way but NO_ , the voice countered in a growl, its tone low and gravelly and sending shivers up Frisk's spine, _YOU HAD TO LOAD. WE COULD HAVE DONE EVERYTHING RIGHT THIS TIME._

 _I-I don't understand_ —

 _IT'S ALWAYS YOU GETTING IN THE WAY OF THINGS. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME._ Frisk didn't get it. What was it talking about? Why was it trying to deviate away from the main subject!?

 _THAT'S NO EXCUSE FOR MURDER_ , they yelled, eyes blazing with fury.

_"Excuse"!? Who ever said I was making an excuse!?_

Frisk decided to ignore them. If they got too into the argument, the voice would just take advantage of it and use their body to kill and murder again. They thought they could trust. They thought they could make friends, and get to the bottom of its existence.

The voice was familiar. Frisk _knew_ who it was but they couldn't _think_ of anything or any reason _why_ it was there.

They encountered the dummy again, and Frisk almost cried at the realization that they had actually gone back. But... how?

 _It's called loading. Well, at least, that's what I call it_ , the voice said, trying to distract them, but Frisk ignored it again.

The fight mostly consisted of the dummy launching attacks at Frisk and them dodging most of them, all while the dummy continued to yell and yell and scream and whine. Frisk wanted to calm it down, try to make it comfortable, but then the dummy gave up, screaming about how they couldn't hurt it and it couldn't hurt them (oh, how wrong it was).

The dummy scurried off, and then there was another figure floating up. Frisk brightened at the sight, and beamed.

"...sorry, i interrupted you, didn't i?" Napstablook mumbled sheepishly, looking incredibly guilty. "as soon as i came over, your friend immediately left... oh no... you guys looked like you were having fun..." They looked like they were about to cry. "oh no... i just wanted to say hi..."

Frisk smiled at them warmly, and Napstablook seemed to perk up ever so slightly.

"well... i'm going to head home now..." At Frisk's expression, they flinched. "oh... umm... feel free to 'come with' if you want... but no pressure... i understand if you're busy... it's fine... no worries... just thought i'd offer..." Napstablook's nervous ramblings were almost cute, and Frisk tilted their head at them. They seemed to look uncomfortable, and gave Frisk a strange look before disappearing.

Frisk clapped their hands together. _Next stop: Napstablook's house!_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was intense holy
> 
> its also almost 5k words yall
> 
> comments are always appreciated!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i couldn't remember if loading after killing a monster got rid of your LV or EXP and i was too lazy to load the game and see so lets just pretend... that it does... for fanfictions sake...
> 
> also about ghosts understanding sign language: my hc is that napstablook (along with other monsters) learned sign language and other languages because of how bored they were in the underground—like how the monster in snowdin talks about smiling to keep themselves distracted from the overpopulation and the lack of sunlight and all the problems. so they learned new things to keep themselves busy.
> 
> (i also hc that frisk has heterochromia in their eyes—left eye light blue and right eye dark brown—but thats just me)
> 
> and for those of you asking what route this is going: that's a secret :0
> 
> anyways enough of me talking. i know you're all just here for the fic ;)

 

_How did you do that._

_Do what?_ Frisk asked, and then mentally slapped themself when they remembered they were supposed to be ignoring the voice.

_Your LV. It's gone. It's at 0._

_Huh? What's LV?_ They were confused; it was a genuine question. Did the voice know something they didn't—no, that was a stupid question. Of course it did. After all, it wouldn't tell them what they were or who the person in the reflection was.

_But... you loaded after I killed it._

Frisk frowned at the words, and then felt the voice begin to murmur to itself as its presence faded slightly in their head. Or—their _shared_ head? Frisk wasn't sure what it was now. Oh well. They had bigger things to worry about, like finding Napstablook's house.

The quiet area in Waterfall was soothing, a peaceful remedy to the stressful situation that had occurred back at the trash dump. The memories still played in their head, the images of dust coating their hands was still there, the feel of being pushed back by an unsearchable force, deep deep _deep_ back into their own mind—

They shook their head. Best not to think about that now.

Frisk looked to the left; there was a glowing path that most likely lead to the pretty swamp. Ahead of them laid three paths, so they decided to trek the middle road. They watched the ground as they walked, eyeing their bruised and slightly bloodied legs as their sore feet crunched against the rocky blue path. Looking up, they saw two oddly-shaped, identical houses, one blue and one pink.

"It's the blue one," Flowey automatically said from beside them, causing Frisk to stare at him strangely. He backtracked at his previous statement, and coughed. "Well, um—the lights in the pink one are off."

Oh. They were.

Frisk walked up to the blue house, raising their clenched fist to rap on the door. When their knuckles brushed against the cold wood, it creaked open with a loud noise. _It must've been unlocked_ , Frisk figured as they opened it all the way and stepped inside.

The walls of the house were cracked and old, the wallpaper beginning to peel off. The cracks in the walls lead to the ceiling, where some of it was crumbling. Some of the floorboards were out of place, and they creaked as Frisk stepped on each one. Cobwebs littered in the corners, spiders staring eerily at Frisk and Flowey, as if in warning.

Frisk walked into the main room, and brightened once they saw Napstablook at their computer with headphones around their head. They turned around, and blinked in realization once they saw Frisk standing there, waving at them.

"oh... you really came..." they murmured, eyes wide. "sorry, i... wasn't expecting that. it's not much but..." Napstablook looked around the room and then back at them. "... make yourself at home."

Frisk nodded and set their bag on the floor against the wall, beginning to turn away when Flowey cleared his throat from the bag. They turned back, and then thought for a moment.

 **You can hang out on my arm if you want** , they signed, and looked at Flowey expectantly.

He just blinked at them, confused.

Frisk rolled their eyes and held out their arm. Napstablook watched from behind as Flowey darted his eyes between Frisk's smile and their arm.

"You want me to..." he mumbled, as if only suddenly grasping the situation. His eyes widened, and he almost looked—embarrassed? "What—no way! I don't want _you_ touching me!"

Frisk recoiled, their expression hurt as they stared at Flowey with wide, shocked eyes. Flowey's angry expression softened, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Frisk had already turned away and was looking through the CDs Napstablook had stacked against the wall. He sighed.

Frisk flipped through each one, looking at the labels— _Spooktunes_ , _Spookwave_ , and _Ghouliday Music_. They looked towards Napstablook, tilting their head and silently asking where they had gotten these.

Napstablook almost looked excited. "oh... i made those myself..."

Frisk jumped to their feet, holding all three in their hands and running up to the ghost, practically jumping up and down. **Can we listen to them?** they signed the best they could with limited hand space.

Napstablook stammered, unsure of what to say, but Frisk was already running to the CD player by Napstablook's computer and putting in the first CD, _Spooktunes_. They pressed play, and waited.

It was a simple, catchy tune, and Frisk smiled once they heard it begin to seep through the speakers. Napstablook almost looked embarrassed, but smiled as they bopped their head lightly to the song.

As the music continued on the same set of notes repetitively, Frisk began to wander around the house curiously. They squatted down in front of the small TV, poking at the antenna and looking over at Napstablook.

"oh... that's my tv," they said. "there's a show i like to watch on it... sometimes..."

Frisk nodded, moving onto the fridge that was beside the TV. They opened it, looking inside, and tilting their head at the questionable contents. Monster food was very different from human food, apparently.

"oh... are you hungry... i can get you something to eat..." Napstablook said, lifting their head as if in realization. They floated over towards the fridge, and Frisk moved back so they could let them do their thing (even though they could see through the ghost). Napstablook—who, for some reason, suddenly had little nubs as arms—turned back around with an oddly white sandwich in front of them.

"this is a ghost sandwich," they said, shyly looking up at Frisk. "do you want to try it..."

Frisk nodded eagerly, taking the sandwich and attempting to bite into it, but they only phased right through it. They looked down, saddened, and then back up at Napstablook sheepishly.

"oh... nevermind..." they said, and Frisk wished that they were a ghost just so they could eat the sandwich.

 _You're way too nice_ , the voice said, suddenly returning and startling Frisk so bad they flinched and nearly stumbled into Flowey, who was sulking like a little kid who got grounded in the bag. _Whoa, chill out. I'm never fully gone; remember that._

 _I will_ , Frisk said sarcastically, rolling their eyes, and sending a **It's fine, I just tripped** to Napstablook once they saw their frightened expression.

Napstablook tried to search for something to say, and then mumbled, "after a good meal i like to lie on the ground and feel like garbage..."

 _Same_ , the voice supplied with a laugh.

"it's a family tradition..." Napstablook continued, and Frisk realized that they were being serious. "do you want... to join me..."

 _Heck yeah_ , the voice said as Frisk nodded.

"okay... follow my lead..."

Frisk and Napstablook went to the center of the room, and Frisk copied them as they laid on the ground and laid still.

"here we go... you'll lie down as long as you don't move..."

_"Don't you DARE move."_

Frisk felt a sudden shiver run down their spine and they shook off the uncomfortable memory, shifting in place to get comfortable as they stared up at the ceiling. _What was THAT?_ the voice questioned, but Frisk ignored it, and instead focused on staying still.

The noise of the music from the player began to dull and fade as Frisk laid motionless, and a vision of stars appeared in their eyes.

 

* * *

 

Flowey was beginning to feel insanely left out as he watched Frisk and Napstablook lay around and feel like garbage on the floor. From his place on the floor, he could just barely see the stars dancing and twinkling in their eyes, and he sighed.

He sighed again, louder, trying to get their attention, but both of them were too caught up in feeling like garbage to notice him.

He frowned, wondering if Frisk was mad at him for what he said. He didn't _mean_ for it to come out like that. Sure, he wasn't fond of being touched—he had told Frisk this before—but he sullenly admitted to himself that he _may_ have spit it out harsher than intended.

He couldn't get Frisk's expression out of his head.

Flowey cursed under his breath, tearing his gaze away from the two on the ground, and instead decided to stare at a spider that was crawling dangerously close to him. He was being stupid—worrying about the feelings of just some _pawn_ in his game. He was just _using_ them. He was just using them until he could get close to the human souls. Frisk didn't mean _anything_ to him.

But Chara did, and Flowey could see them in Frisk's eyes.

The first time he was caught staring into Frisk's eyes, he blamed it on their weird "double-color" (but seriously, what human has eyes that are two different colors?), but in actuality, he was scanning their irises, looking beyond the layer of color to try and find the red that was _surely_ hidden deep beneath.

No matter what Frisk said (or, rather, signed), he was _still_ convinced that Chara was in there _somehow_ —reincarnated, concealing themself with a whole new persona, or... whatever they were doing. And he had proof too.

The red eyes.

It had happened two times: the first time they were escaping Undyne, and the second time... well...

Flowey wasn't really sure what to make of that second time. One moment Frisk was trying to chat with the other, and then suddenly they were staggering and stumbling and gripping at their head, and in all of the confusion the dummy turned corporeal, and then suddenly Frisk's eyes were _red_ and they were grinning—

And then the dummy was crumbling into ashes and Frisk was slathering the remains onto their hands and arms as if it were a type of medicine, or a cure.

It was weird. And nothing like Frisk. But... considering Chara...

But could this weird kid _really_ be Chara? The one who was lying on the floor with the sad ghost that cried all the time, the one who tried to befriend every monster they encountered, the one who could barely keep themself from walking two feet without almost tripping in some way, and was always covered in cuts and bruises because of it.

There was no way Chara could be this happy kid.

But as he thought deeper, outside the box, he knew that there was a different side to everyone. A dark side. Maybe a secret, or a terrifying past, or hiding something that could change the fate of the world (okay, maybe the last one _was_ a bit too extreme, but still).

He only wondered what Frisk was hiding.

 

* * *

 

After a few more chats with Napstablook and two failed attempts at Thundersnail, Frisk and Flowey were moving on. They read the sign to see that towards the east was Hotland (which, Frisk assumed, was hot), and somewhere marked with question marks was Temmie Village.

Whatever that was.

Frisk walked alongside the path, taking a moment to admire the gems embedded into the rock, until they found an archway that led into a cave. It was a shop, according to the sign above it, and they walked in to see a large, old turtle standing in the middle of a beautiful room filled to the brim with sparkling and dazzling gems. Frisk's eyes sparkled at the sight, and even Flowey was impressed.

"Whoa there! I got some neat junk for sale!" the old monster exclaimed as he looked down at Frisk.

They looked into their pocket to look at the amount of gold they had, and then curiously looked around at the items placed carefully and orderly. The old turtle followed them, watching their every movement with a curious smile.

"You must be a fighter, eh?" he asked, and Frisk flinched in surprise. He noticed their shock, and then laughed. "Oh, I see. You're just clumsy!"

Frisk pouted as the voice in their head burst into laughter. They looked at the bruises on their leg and kicked aimlessly at the dust on the ground.

Once they had looked through everything in the shop, they looked up expectantly towards the old turtle and signed, **Tell me about yourself.**

"Little too young to be flirtin' with an old guy like me," he said with a laugh, and Frisk beamed at the realization that he understood them. He leaned back against one of the tables and sighed. "I've been around for a long time. Maybe too long. Studying history sure is easy when you've lived through so much of it yourself!"

"You get way too excited about the stupidest things," Flowey muttered with an eye roll, but Frisk just shoved him away with a smirk.

Frisk then noticed the emblem lined across the shop, and tilted their head. It looked extremely familiar, but where had they seen it before...? They frowned, and then pointed at it, looking up expectantly at the old turtle.

"Eh? You don't know what that is?" The old turtle scoffed. "What are they teaching you kids in school nowadays?" He laughed, and Frisk felt themself beginning to smile. "That's the Delta Rune, the emblem of our kingdom. The Kingdom of Monsters. Great name, huh? It's as I always say... Ol' King Fluffybuns can't name for beans!"

 _Oh my GOD_ , the voice in their head almost yelled. _He did not just say that._

 _Uh, say what?_ Frisk asked, but the voice was too busy cackling and snickering to itself. They looked over at Flowey, only to see that he was in a similar state.

"That emblem actually predates written history," the old turtle continued, "but the original meaning has been lost to time... All we know is that the triangles symbolize us monsters below, and the winged circle above symbolizes..." He squinted. "... Somethin' else. Most people say it's the 'angel,' from the prophecy..."

Prophecy? That piqued Frisk's interest. They looked up a little, giving him a confused look.

"Oh right. The prophecy," he said, as if just remembering something. "Legend has it, an 'angel' who has seen the surface will descend from above and give us freedom. Lately, the people have been taking a bleaker outlook... Callin' that winged circle the 'Angel of Death'."

 _Ooh_ , the voice hummed, suddenly interested.

"A harbinger of destruction, waitin' to 'free' us from this mortal realm..." He rolled his eyes. "In my opinion, when I see that little circle, I jus' think it looks neat!" He began to laugh again, and Frisk wished they could laugh with him.

The voice was feeling something, and executing the aura of that emotion throughout Frisk's body—something it could do apparently. Frisk wasn't sure what it was, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. It was a good feeling, a feeling that Frisk wanted to grasp onto and hold tight, but it wasn't...

... It wasn't nice.

 **What about the king?** Frisk signed, trying to change the subject to distract themself.

"King Fluffybuns?" There was the nickname again, along with the laughter from inside and beside them. "He's a friendly, happy-go-lucky kind of guy. If you keep walking around long enough, you'll probably meet him. He loves to walk around and talk to people."

Suddenly, the not-nice emotion disappeared, and it was replaced with a sense of nostalgia.

"You know Undyne?" the old turtle suddenly said, and Frisk stiffened. He didn't seem to notice their discomfort, however, and continued. "She's a local hero around here. Through grit and determination alone, she fought her way to the top of the Royal Guard." He squinted at them, and cocked his head. "Actually, she just came through here asking about someone lookin' just like you..."

All the air left Frisk's lungs.

"I'd watch your back, kid. And buy some items. It might just save your hide!" He laughed, but Frisk was all too caught up in fear and worry to even think about acknowledging him.

Frisk wanted to leave, wanted to escape immediately, but so they didn't feel rude, they decided to buy the torn notebook that was lying idly on a chair. Once they had purchased it, they bid the old turtle goodbye and hastily ran out of the shop.

"Are you okay?" Flowey asked, but Frisk was far, _far_ from okay.

It was getting hard to breathe—they had to inhale deeply just to even think about inhaling, and their chest was getting tighter and tighter and tighter until their heart was pounding and rattling and begging to be set free.

 _Hey, hey, calm down_ , the voice said, and its tone was suddenly soft. _Inhale slowly for 7 seconds, and then exhale for 10. You got that?_

Frisk nodded, even though they were nodding at nothing, and did as the voice told. They forgot the grudge they were just barely holding against it as they inhaled deeply, leaning against the wall and sliding down. They hung their head, clutching their chest and wrinkling the fabric of their sweater and they panted.

_See? You're alright. Now calm down._

They nodded again, and the voice went silent.

 

* * *

 

_Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magic spell. Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a powerful soul can leave._

_There is only one way to reverse this spell._

_If a huge power, equivalent to seven human souls, attacks the barrier, it will be destroyed._

_But this cursed place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come here. We will remain trapped down here forever._

Frisk assumed that the writings were made before any of the humans before them had fallen. They wondered what the first was like—how confused and scared they must have been, and how surprised and shocked the monsters were. They wondered how the first human to fall died, and who killed them just to take their soul.

The voice in their head was oddly silent.

As they continued to walk along the lighted, narrow pathway, the area was dim, and the words were hard to read.

_Without candles or magic to guide them Home, monsters used crystals to navigate._

The history of monsters was getting interesting, and Frisk hoped they would get to see the final message. Even though the fact that they were so scattered was very inconvenient and honestly ridiculous—but they assumed that whoever wrote it just did it for dramatic effect.

It worked, they supposed.

 

* * *

 

Walking in water in pitch blackness wasn't the most comforting thing in the world.

Water seeped into their had-been-drying clothes and shoes, and when they found themself nearly tripping over the land they couldn't see, their clothes stuck uncomfortably to their skin. Even worse, the water had been extremely cold, and they were shivering and their teeth were chattering as they made it all the way to the end—

—only to find a single echo flower.

Frisk pouted, and leaned in to hear the words.

" _Behind you._ "

There was a clanking, and Frisk whirled around with wide eyes to see Undyne standing before them. The room had was suddenly filled with light, and Frisk turned around fully to face her.

She took a step closer. Frisk jumped back into the wall in response. She almost looked pleased at the fact that they were afraid of her, but Frisk couldn't see her face.

They shivered, trying not to whimper as they saw Undyne's almost-glowing eyes staring them down with a fiery gaze.

"Seven," came the gruff voice from behind the metal. "Seven human souls."

 _Why does everyone have to do a monologue before getting to the fun part_ , the voice deadpanned, and Frisk internally hissed at them for interrupting.

"With the power of seven human souls, our king... King Asgore Dreemurr... will become a god." The way she worded her sentence terrified them to no end, and Frisk felt themselves gripping their sleeve and digging their nails into their skin as best they good. They scratched at it, a habit they hadn't done since they were very small.

"With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the barrier." She sounded almost hopeful, yet fierce. "He will finally take the surface back from humanity... and give them back the suffering and pain that we have endured."

Undyne seemed to give them a once-over, and Frisk tried to inhale and exhale to calm themself like the voice had told them earlier.

"Understand, human?" _Human. Human human human they only want my soul because I'm human they only want to kill me because I'm human._ "This is your only chance at redemption. Give up your soul..."

She paused.

"... or I'll tear it from your body."

Frisk nearly whimpered, and slapped a hand over their mouth as they stared at Undyne with wide, tearful eyes. Their body began to shake as Undyne moved herself into a fighting position, a glowing blue spear materializing in her awaiting hands. They leaned back, squeezing their eyes shut and preparing for impact as they heard her step forward and felt her presence move closer and closer and closer—

"Undyne! I'll help you fight!"

—until it was blocked.

Frisk's eyes shot open with a tiny gasp, only to see Monster Kid looking between each of them. Undyne had stopped, and her gaze was solely on them. Frisk blinked, looking over at Monster Kid as they marveled at them.

"YO! You did it!" they exclaimed excitedly. "Undyne is RIGHT in front of you! You've got front row seats to her fight!"

 _You have no idea_ , the voice muttered sarcastically.

Monster Kid then saw Undyne staring at Frisk, and seemed to put two and two together as they shifted in place. "... wait. Who's she fighting?"

Undyne suddenly grabbed Kid by the cheek, her spear disappearing, and dragged them away as they protested and yelled about not telling their parents about the entire ordeal.

Frisk watched them disappear from view, and felt a slow breath leave their chest. It was silent again, the sound of running water being the only soothing remedy vibrating in their ears.

 _Let's keep moving_ , they said to nobody but themself as they picked themself up off the wall and quietly exited the room, walking through a passage on the right that suddenly seemed to be opened.

There were more echo flowers inside.

" _... hmm... if I say my wish, you promise you won't laugh at me?_ "

Frisk wondered who were the identities behind the voices inside the echo flowers.

" _Of course I won't laugh!_ "

" _... Someday, I'd like to climb this mountain we're all buried under. Standing under the sky, looking all around... That's my wish._ "

Frisk smiled, but they felt an odd feeling of sadness twinging their core. They moved onto the next flower, only to hear scattered laughter.

" _Hey, you said you wouldn't laugh at it!_ "

" _Sorry... it's just funny. That's my wish, too._ "

Frisk looked down at Flowey. **What's your wish?** they signed.

Flowey watched their hand movements, and then seemed to sigh. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it, as if deciding against whatever he was going to say. Then he looked at Frisk, and said, "I don't have one."

 **Everyone has a wish** , they said, but didn't push the issue.

 _What's your wish, oh so mysterious voice in my head?_ they teasingly questioned.

The voice seemed to laugh. _Nice nickname, kid. You're about as good as naming things as D—Asgore._

 _I'm sure King Fluffybuns is a nice guy_ , Frisk said, and then tilted their head. _So what's your wish?_

 _Hmm..._ The voice seemed to think about it, pondering for a moment as they hummed inside the shared headspace. _A lifetime supply of chocolate. Wait, no, TWO lifetime supplies of chocolate!_

Frisk grinned. _Next time I see chocolate, you can have control and eat it if you want._

 _Really!?_ The voice seemed excited.

_Yeah, but on one condition..._

The mood suddenly turned solemn.

_Mm, I understand._

_...You promise?_

_Sure._

Frisk frowned, unsatisfied.

_Oh, fine, fine. I promise._

_Good!_ Frisk exclaimed happily. _Let's hope there's some chocolate soon, then!_

The voice gave off the impression of a pleased nod, and Frisk moved onto the message that was plastered on the wall just up ahead.

_However... there is a prophecy._

_The Angel... The One Who Has Seen The Surface..._

_They will return._

_And the underground will go empty._

 

* * *

 

"Yo!"

Frisk turned around, feeling the bridge they were on move just slightly, and felt a surge of panic as Monster Kid slowly and steadily walked up to them. They seemed to hesitate.

"Yo, I know I'm not supposed to be here, but... I wanna ask you something."

Frisk's anxiety surged higher.

Monster Kid opened their mouth, and then sighed. "Man, I've never had to ask anyone this before." They shook their head. "Yo... you're human, right? Haha..." When Frisk nodded, they seemed to get excited. "Man! I knew it! Well, I know it now, I mean..."

Frisk tilted their head.

"Undyne told me, um, 'stay away from that human'. So, um... I guess that makes us enemies or something."

Frisk never wanted to cry more in their life. Couldn't they just make _one_ friend who wasn't going to be their enemy?

"... But I kinda stink at that, haha..." They fumbled with their words, and then looked up at Frisk with an awkward smile. "Yo, say something mean so I can hate you? Please?"

Frisk shook their head firmly.

"Yo, what? So _I_ have to do it?" Why did they even _need_ to be enemies in the first place? "... Here goes nothing." They looked up at Frisk with a determined expression, even though it faltered, and said, "Yo, I... I hate your guts."

 _It's super effective!_ the voice yelled, and Frisk almost yelled back that it was not the place nor time.

"Man, I... I'm such a turd," Monster Kid mumbled, suddenly depressed by their own words. "I'm... I'm gonna go home now." They gave Frisk a sad smile before turning around and walking away.

But as they were about to fall, they slipped down the cliff, just barely hanging off by one of their spikes. Frisk jumped up, startled and panicked.

"Yo, w-w-wait! Help! I tripped!" they yelled frantically, and Frisk was about to slide in when there were clanking footsteps making the bridge vibrate.

Undyne.

Frisk's throat tightened, and it was like they were rooted to the ground by vines as Undyne stared them down. Frisk took a deep breath, their gaze darting between Monster Kid and the terrifying warrior ahead of them, and they gritted their teeth as they risked their life in order to pull their friend up. They heard Undyne's footsteps coming towards them, but ignored it as Monster Kid leaned against them on their way to the bridge.

They finally managed to pull their friend up, and Monster Kid panted as Frisk made sure they were okay. Undyne had backed off slightly, and was staring at the two as if in a trance. Frisk looked towards her, and jumped to their feet in panic. Monster Kid noticed their fear, and put up a brave front even though they were trembling as the walked up towards Undyne.

"Y... y... yo... dude..." they said defiantly (as defiant as a child could get). "If y-you wanna hurt my friend... You're gonna have to get through me, first."

Frisk's eyes widened at their display, and they wiped at their face which was most likely wet with water that hadn't dried yet and dirtied with mud and dust. They probably looked like a mess—a banged-up, scratched, dirty, wet mess—and here Monster Kid was defending that mess.

And most of all, Kid had called them their _friend_.

Undyne slowly backed away, and left.

Monster Kid let out a deep breath, and turned back around towards Frisk. "She's gone..." They then straightened, and smiled at them. "Yo, you really saved my skin. Guess being enemies was just a nice thought, haha. We'll just have to be friends instead."

Frisk's eyes brightened, and a big smile blossomed on their face.

"... man, I should REALLY go home..." Monster Kid mumbled, almost to themself. "I bet my parents are worried sick about me!" They turned, starting to walk away, and then stopped, looking back over their shoulder to grin at Frisk, "Later, dude!"

And then they zoomed off without tripping, leaving Frisk alone on the bridge.

 

* * *

 

Undyne was standing on top of a large set of spiked rocks, and Frisk could only wonder how she got up there.

"Seven."

_WHY._

"Seven human souls, and King Asgore will become a god."

_I GET THAT YOU WANT TO BE DRAMATIC BUT COME ON YOU'RE OVERDOING IT._

"Six."

_JUST GET TO THE POINT OH MY GODDD._

"That's how many we have collected thus far."

_FRISK DO SOMETHING TO STOP HER._

"Understand? Through your seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed." Undyne turned to the side, tearing her gaze away from them; Frisk felt small in comparison to her. "First, as is customary for those who make it this far... I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people."

_ARE YOU KIDDING ME._

"It all started, long ago..."

_FRIIIIIIIIISK._

Undyne suddenly stopped, and then seemed to ponder something. "No, you know what..."

_OH THANK GOD._

"SCREW IT!" Undyne yelled, startling Frisk and making them jump backwards. "WHY SHOULD I TELL THAT STORY WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE? NGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!

There was a sudden flash, and Undyne had removed her helmet to reveal a rather pretty, fish-like face. Frisk blinked at the sight of her.

"YOU!" she yelled, her voice no longer muffled and metallic due to the armor, and now that Frisk was able to hear it, they realized that it was just as gruff as they expected it to be. "You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Alphys' history books made me think humans were cool... with their giant robots and flowery swordswomen."

 _What_ , Frisk and the voice both said at the same time, taken aback.

"BUT YOU? You're just a coward!"

 _True_ , the voice agreed, and snickered at Frisk's pout.

Flowey watched from inside the bag, internally making remarks on Undyne's speech and how stupid she was for "thinking a stupid cartoon was just like real life".

"Hiding behind that kid so you could run away from me again!"

Frisk lifted their head shocked, and opened their mouth to protest, but then stopped. Their hand slowly went to their neck in surprise, and they blinked into open space. They haven't attempted to speak in years.

"And let's not forget your wimpy goody-two-shoes schtick!" Then she lifted her head with a goofy expression, and mocked, "Oooh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers!"

Frisk huffed as the voice was losing it in their head, cackling and snickering and saying how it liked her.

"You know what would be better for everyone else?" Undyne said angrily. "IF YOU WERE DEAD! That's right, human! Your continued existence is a crime!"

Frisk froze, the words feeling extremely familiar. Undyne was saying more, but Frisk didn't hear her. All they could hear was static, buzzing in their ears and blocking everything and everyone. They couldn't see, couldn't think, couldn't _breathe_.

The voice was talking to them, but they couldn't hear. Undyne was talking to them, but they couldn't hear. Flowey was talking to them, but they couldn't hear.

Then Undyne was standing in front of them and their soul was being ripped from their body and hovering in front of them, but Frisk was still stuck in the middle of one of their episodes and couldn't focus on anything. Their vision was blurry and shaky and wet with tears, and Undyne was watching them with a grin but in Frisk's mind it was twisted and insane and all they wanted was to lay down and never get back up.

Undyne said something else, and then there were spears coming at them from so many different directions and their head was spinning and spinning and spinning—

A spear tore through their chest and the world went black.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are always appreciated!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i left y'all on a cliffhanger whoops

Frisk looked up to see Undyne glaring down at them from atop her rock.

> _Then Undyne was standing in front of them and their soul was being ripped from their body and hovering in front of them—_

They jolted, jumping backwards, and tuned out Undyne's repeat of her speech.

 _W...What happened?_ they tried asking the voice.

 _You died_ , the voice replied nonchalantly, and then gave a sly chuckle. _But it was so early, though. I expected you to at least last a little while longer._

Frisk shuddered, taking a deep breath and looking around frantically. They had _died_. They had _felt_ it and _heard_ it and _saw_ it. Undyne had _killed_ them and Frisk thought she would have taken their soul but she _didn't_ and now they were back here, right at the point _before_ it all happened.

> _A spear tore through their chest and the world went black._

Their breathing began to quicken, and they were sure they were going to spiral into another panic attack but then the voice was flowing through their body and whispering as if into their ear. It was like all their worries had faded away—

—but then they stopped.

_No! I'm not going to let you control me again!_

The voice took a step back (even though it was just a presence inside Frisk with no means of moving around), and it sounded almost genuinely hurt as it said, _I was just trying to help._

 _...Oh._ Frisk felt incredibly bad now.

 _My brot—friend, he used to have panic attacks sometimes. So I would... help him._ The voice sounded nostalgic, and almost... lonely.

Frisk didn't even realize they had been put into a battle sequence until Undyne pointed her spear at them.

"Aren't you done yet!?" she demanded, implying that she had waited for Frisk to finish... whatever it was she assumed they were doing.

Frisk, confused, tilted their head and stared at her for a moment. Then they decided to just go with it, and nodded. Undyne grinned, glowing spears materializing all around them, and the fear returned at full force.

The voice was back, trying to soothe them but Frisk blocked it out in a panic to keep it from taking over and trying to kill again. After a while, the voice retreated with an annoyed huff, and this time it was Flowey who popped out to get Frisk back on track.

"Um... uh, everything is going to be... fine," he said awkwardly, and it sounded like he was really trying to make it better. Oddly enough, Flowey's genuine attempts gave Frisk the opportunity to catch their breath, and they stared at Undyne with a determined gaze.

The soul hovering in front of them flickered.

And then it turned green.

Frisk blinked in surprise, taking a step forward and poking at the soul. It made a glitching sound, and sparks flew from the soul as soon as Frisk touched it. They reeled back, and looked up to see Undyne giving them a grin that could be classified as terrifying.

 _Undyne attacks_ , the voice spoke up, and then seemed to enunciate its tone a bit more. _You can use the stick to fight her, or just keep dodging like you always do._ It almost sounded annoyed.

 _But... if I die again_ —

 _Then you'll end up right back here._ Its tone was final, and Frisk didn't protest any further.

Frisk took a deep breath and tried to stand as tall as they could. **I don't want to fight** , they signed desperately, but it seemed that Undyne couldn't understand anything they were saying, and she just squinted at their fingers before frowning.

Their soul was heavy and hard to move; it pulsed with each breath Frisk took, each beat of their heart. Was this going to be their first _real_ battle?

They weren't ready.

Undyne scoffed at them. "Unless you learn to face danger head-on... you won't last a SECOND against ME!"

Frisk's vision was filled with blue, but then suddenly spears were shooting past their eyes right above them, and it wasn't until they had straightened their back when they realized that the voice had taken control just to save them.

 _...Thanks_ , they said hesitantly.

 _Mm. You need to get focused now. I know you're scared, but you're going to be fine._ Strangely, the voice's words seemed to help, and Frisk felt the tension in their shoulders loosen as they gave Undyne a determined stare.

She flipped her spear impatiently. "Not bad! Then how about THIS!?"

_W-Wait, what do I do!?_

The voice made an "I-don't know" sound and gave off the impression of a shrug. _Try using your soul?_

_To do WHAT?_

_I don't know! Make a shield or something!_ Then it scoffed. _Things were so much easier my turn._

 _What?_ Frisk asked, confused.

_Heads up!_

Frisk blinked, whipping their head around and widening their eyes as spears began to charge towards them from all directions. They spun around, trying to figure out which way to maneuver. Once the spears got so close that Frisk could feel the magic and energy pulsating off them, Frisk ducked, curling into a ball and covering their head with their arms. The spears crashed into each other, and exploded in a firework of sporadic blue bursts.

"Whoa," Flowey commented from the backpack.

Frisk jumped back up, lightly kicking at the remaining sparks in curiosity, and then looked up at Undyne. She almost looked annoyed, but she flashed them a menacing smile nonetheless.

"I guess you're pretty good at quick thinking," Flowey murmured to himself, and Frisk rolled their eyes.

 _No I'm not_ , they thought with a laugh, and idly heard the voice agree with them.

"For years we've dreamed of a happy ending..." Undyne said as she outstretched her arm, clenching her fists as multiple spears materialized around her.

 _I swear to GOD_ —

 _Calm down_ , Frisk laughed at the voice.

The spears disappeared for a moment, and then they were coming from the sides. Frisk ducked, dodging the first one, but ended up putting themself right in the path of the second. The second spear pierced their arm, drawing blood, just before Frisk was able to jump back. They winced, instinctively grabbing the place they were injured and pulling their hand away. Their fingers were slick with red, and their sweater was torn up. Ugh, when would they be able to get a break?

The third spear was coming in quick, and Frisk leaped to the side with a silent scream as it just missed their head by a hairline. They panted as they tumbled to the ground on their knees, looking up at Undyne with a pleading expression.

"Behind you!" Flowey warned, and Frisk whirled around see a spear aimed directly for the back of their head whizzing towards them.

They rolled to the side just before it hit, and shakily climbed to their feet to prove to Undyne that they weren't weak.

Undyne held her fist in front of her and shook her head, and the voice groaned at her dramatic appeal ( _Okay, MAYBE I am a LITTLE dramatic too, but REALLY?_ ).

"And now, sunlight is just within our reach!" Undyne declared, and Frisk frowned. Sunlight was kind of annoying to them—it always got into their eyes and they had to squint all the time or stare at the ground just to see. They supposed the sunset and sunrise were pretty, though.

Frisk took a deep breath, puffing their cheeks as the spears started blasting at them faster. They looked down at their feet for a moment, making sure they wouldn't trip on anything, and attempted to dance past the spears. They dodged one, twirling around the tip and ducking just to avoid the second. The third spear was soaring closer to the ground, and Frisk jumped up just as it whizzed by. The next ones were hurdling towards their chest one after the other, and Frisk turned to the side quickly just to dodge them. But the spears didn't give up that easily. They followed Frisk's movements, and Frisk was jumping and dodging for a while until they laid on the ground and rolled to the side just as the spears were close to them. They shattered on the ground, and Undyne growled angrily.

 _Fancy_ , the voice complimented. Frisk smiled.

"I won't let you snatch it away from us!" Undyne bellowed, narrowing her eyes as her hair blew dramatically in the wind (even though there was no wind—Frisk's matty hair was blowing around too). "NGAHH! Enough warming up!"

Frisk didn't see the first spear until its tip was cutting into their skin. They gasped, panicking as their throat went tight, and jumped back to let it pass before it passed through their body. They weren't given much time to look at the wound, and the second one whizzed by their head and sliced their ear slightly. Frisk grimaced, putting a hand over their ear and feeling tears well in their eyes—but no, they had to stay strong. They had to look strong. They couldn't show weakness; not in front of this powerful warrior.

"Heh... you're tough!" Undyne said with a hostile smirk.

Frisk stopped, tilting their head in confusion at the compliment, and then froze when they heard a whirring sound just below their feet. To the right of their right foot, a giant white spear protruded out of the ground and then faded. A light appeared right below them, and Frisk leaped to the side as another spear appeared right where they had just been standing.

 _Get ready for some fancy footwork_ , the voice said.

Frisk felt a bead of sweat trickle down their face as lights and white spears filled their vision and thoughts. They were so focused on dodging each spear that an unbreakable terror that they would slip up and get killed suffocated them and nearly made them slip. Their hands got clammy as they stepped onto a place where a spear had just faded, just to dodge another.

_Hey—underneath!_

Frisk looked down just as a spear began to appear. They blanched, turning pale white and jumping to the side. They stumbled over nothing, tripping over their own feet and tumbling harshly to the ground. Their body skidded across the black surface slightly, and they groaned as they coughed into their fist and supported their upper body up off the ground with their forearms.

Undyne towered threateningly above them, and Frisk gulped down a lump in their throat.

"But even if you could beat me..." she mumbled, uncovered eye flashing sharply. "No human has EVER made it past Asgore!"

Asgore this, Asgore that—what was the big deal? Frisk had heard so many different things about him; that he was kind and caring, tough and ruthless—what was next?

"Honestly, killing you now is an act of mercy!"

Frisk stared at her strangely. _In what way is being killed an act of mercy!?_

 _Yikes_ , the voice said in response, and snickered.

More spears. More dodging. More blades rippling their skin and sweater.

"So STOP being so damn resilient! What the hell are humans made out of!?"

 _Sugar, spice, and everything nice_ , the voice supplied.

 _That's what girls are made of_ , Frisk scoffed.

 _Oh, right._ Then it paused. _Then what are WE made of?_

 _Well, I don't know about you since I don't know what you are_ , Frisk said as they ducked to avoid another spear, _but I'm made of sunshine and rainbows and love._

 _Disgusting_ , the voice laughed. _You need bones and organs—watch out for that spear!—to live, you know._

_Does this mean I'm related to Sans and Papyrus? Since I'm a skeleton, technically?_

_Oh God._

Frisk giggled silently, and Undyne gave them a weird stare (who _giggled_ during a fight to the death?).

"Anyone else would be dead by now!" Undyne scoffed, and Frisk was half-tempted to tell her that she had killed them once already. Speaking of that—

 _How come I came back?_ they asked, hoping for an explanation. The question hovered in their head for what seemed like forever until something finally took it and acknowledged it.

 _Determination_ , came the voice.

"Alphys told me that humans were determined..." Undyne said at the same time, and Frisk rolled their eyes at the coincidence.

 _What do you mean?_ they asked.

_You know, a determination to live. It's something all humans, and in rare cases, some monsters, have, apparently. It's what lets a human's soul persist after death._

Frisk raised their eyebrows, still not totally understanding.

The voice sighed. _You know ghosts? Like, human ghosts?_

_Yeah._

_Well, those ghosts are cases when the soul persists after death for a long, or short time, because of "unfinished business", or the soul was possessed by a powerful emotion that won't be destroyed unless its fulfilled._

_Huh_ , Frisk mumbled. _Interesting._

_People with the highest determination can save and load—like what you did at the dump and the first time you were killed this round._

_...Oh. Wait. Round?_

_You might want to pay attention to the fight_ , the voice pointed out.

"... RIGHT NOW!" Undyne declared, and Frisk figured that she must've been monologuing again.

More spears whizzed by them, but they just passed by like blurs of light, and Frisk nearly stumbled over one as they tried to keep their gaze locked on Undyne. She looked frustrated, growing red at the ears due to anger, and Frisk took a step back.

"... RIGHT... NOW...!"

Spears, spears, and more spears, coming faster and faster and faster until Frisk was just moving and spinning all in a daze. Their hair was in their eyes and mouth and they couldn't see where anything was and they were dizzy and—

—Frisk fell onto the ground harshly, landing on their back with a wheeze.

"DIE ALREADY, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Undyne screamed, holding her fists up in the air. "I WILL NEVER TAKE MERCY FROM THE LIKES OF YOU!"

Frisk's eyes widened, and they covered their head with their arms as they rolled left and right, dodging the spears that were raining down towards them and crashing onto the ground.

Undyne's eyes were darting around and twitching in frustration, but Frisk made their way to their feet and stood tall, determined to show Undyne that they had absolutely no intention of fighting or dying.

More and more spears came along almost unfairly, and once Frisk had managed to somewhat dodge them all (one had nearly torn their arm off), her eye was twitching more intensely and she began smashing spears on the ground with a feral scream of rage.

While she was distracted, Frisk darted their eyes around and forced their soul back into their body. Undyne's head lifted in an instant, but Frisk was already running away.

Undyne was right on their tail, her clanking footsteps echoing through the room as Frisk stumbled and jumped over jagged areas and rocks that poked out of the uneven grounds. They panted, hiking up their legs in a desperate attempt to run faster. There was a sign on the wall, but Frisk didn't even get a chance to read it, and they could see the light of spears coming down from above—

_Ring! Ring!_

Frisk took out their phone with an scoff of disbelief, and put it to their ear with an annoyed frown. They looked up, and noticed that the spears had disappeared, but didn't dare look behind them. They could feel Undyne's presence behind them, though they weren't sure why she had stopped.

"HEY!" came Papyrus' loud voice. "WHAT'S UP!?"

 _Oh my God_ , the voice said, and Frisk couldn't tell if it was laughing or annoyed.

"I WAS JUST THINKING... YOU, ME, AND UNDYNE SHOULD ALL HANG OUT SOMETIME! I THINK YOU WOULD MAKE GREAT PALS! LET'S MEET UP AT HER HOUSE LATER!"

Frisk tapped the receiver once, turning their head slightly to glance behind them. Undyne was definitely still there, and she was staring a hole into the back of their head.

Papyrus hung up, and as soon as Frisk let the phone fall from their ear, Undyne began pursuing again. They blanched, charging forward and forcing themself to move faster and faster and faster.

The next room was a sudden wave of heat and steam, and Frisk groaned as their face suddenly got warm to the point of discomfort as their surroundings shifted dramatically. It was red and orange and illuminated by fire and lava down below. It was like they were in a volcano.

 _Welcome to Hotland_ , the voice said.

Undyne was still chasing them, and out of the corner of their eye, Frisk saw Sans asleep at one of his posts near a bridge (which, oddly, had snow coating the rooftop). They ignored him for now, being careful on the bridge that had no sides (and if they fell into the lava, it would surely mean a certain, painful death), and darted across. It was hot, and they were burning and sweating in their sweater already ( _Maybe that's why it's called a sweater,_ the voice supplied unhelpfully).

They made it to the other side of the bridge, and saw a conveniently-placed water cooler that was, surprisingly, fully-equipped. They stared at it for a moment, wondering how the water was still there even though it was so hot (surely the water was boiling, right?).

The heavy, quick footsteps of Undyne were not there. Instead, they were replaced by slow, staggering steps, and Frisk turned around to see Undyne barely making it across the bridge as she stumbled.

"Armor... so... hot..." she moaned, sweat dripping from her face as she groaned and struggled. "But... I can't... give up..."

She suddenly collapsed, and Frisk jumped back in surprise at the loud noise. She was motionless, tongue sticking out of her mouth comically, and Frisk looked around frantically. Their eyes spotted the water cooler, and they quickly took a cup before pushing down on the nozzle and filling it up. Oddly enough, the water was cold, and Frisk rushed over to Undyne and poured the cup of water over her head. They were about to run back and get a second one in case the first wasn't enough, but then Undyne groaned and climbed to her feet.

Frisk took a few steps back, preparing to be bombarded with spears, but it never came. Undyne just stared at them with an odd, transfixed expression. She almost looked as if she was in disbelief. Undyne opened her mouth, but then she closed it, looking around to see if this was a joke. Then she looked back down at Frisk for a moment, before turning away and walking back.

Frisk watched her leave, and once she was gone, felt an incredible wave of relief wash through them. It was like a blast of wind, and they felt themself fall to the ground, holding their chest. Suddenly, they became painfully aware of all their wounds, and searing pain blossomed through their body and they winced. They were surely covered in dirt and blood, but they were too tired to even move. Flowey was saying something to them, and so was the voice, but Frisk was too tired.

They closed their eyes.

 

* * *

 

_Her hand was cold. They were so short they could barely glance up to look at her._

_She dragged them along roughly, tugging at their arm when they were going too slow, and eventually picking them up and placing them on her hip as she walked even though they knew she hated touching them—let alone holding them. They figured they weren't that heavy though; after all, they were only about 4 years old._

_Their father was back home. He never spoke to them. Not even once._

_She was walking far, far away from home, and she wouldn't even tell them where they were going. Soon, they were out of the city area and into the middle of the woods, and they could see the distance mountaintop of Mt. Ebott—a mountain that was the host of many horror stories throughout their local town._

_There was a bench nearby off the side of a trail, and she was heading right for it. She grabbed them, almost painfully, and practically dropped them onto the bench without a second thought. Then she knelt down and brushed back their hair—she never touched them when it wasn't necessary—and smiled at them (she never smiled at them, or anyone)._

_"Stay here and I'll be right back, okay?"_

_"Okay, Mama," they said automatically._

_She smiled again (it was almost unnerving), and stood. Then she turned around and walked away without even looking back. They waited for her to come back, and soon minutes turned to hours. They stayed determined however; maybe she had just gotten caught up in some business, maybe trying to get them more money so they could stop moving from tenement to tenement._

_But nobody came._

 

* * *

 

_A nice policeman found them. So they told him what happened, and he took them home without a word._

_She was angry when she found them standing at her doorstep with a policeman behind them._

_They had to pretend everything was fine when the policeman questioned their homelife. They had to smile, laugh, and lie and lie and lie that their parents were perfect. Although, it wasn't exactly a lie in their mind. 4-year olds don't exactly have the greatest knowledge of other homelives._

_Once the policeman left, all hell broke loose._

_She hit them, even though she hated touching them. She screamed at them. She locked them in their room, and refused to let them have dinner (even though there usually wasn't enough for them anyways)._

_"Why did you come back when I told you to wait!?"_

_They weren't sure what they were supposed to be waiting for._

 

* * *

 

_It happened again when they were five._

_She told them to stay. They did. But she didn't come back._

_A policewoman found them, this time, and took them back._

_Same old, same old._

_"How many times do I have to tell you to stay put!?"_

 

* * *

 

When Frisk opened their eyes, they were laying in front of a laboratory.

Flowey was beside them, looking as frantic as ever. "You... just suddenly collapsed," he said, trying to play off his previous worry.

 **I was tired** , they signed with a tired smile, and yawned as they stretched. Somehow, it had gotten even hotter, and Frisk rolled up the sleeves of their sweater (it didn't do much; just revealed more wounds and bruises).

Flowey shuffled impatiently, and was seemingly glaring at the laboratory ahead of them. "Ugh, whatever, let's just go," he said, crawling back into the backpack.

Frisk heaved a sigh as they jumped to their feet, running a hand through their hair and brushing themself off.

_I saw those._

They froze.

_...Saw what?_

_You know what I mean_ , the voice said ominously. _It seems we share memories. But I only get to see yours when you're dreaming or voluntarily showing me them._

 _...Oh._ Frisk didn't know what to say. They bit the inside of their cheek, tugging at the hem of their shirt and kicking their legs back and forth.

_It's fine. It was similar for me._

_It was?_ Huh. Interesting.

 _I'd rather not talk a whole lot about it, but yes._ That was understandable, Frisk decided, and nodded slightly. Then an idea formed in their head.

 _Since you know more about me_ , they started, _can I know more about you?_

 _...Like what?_ The voice sounded suspicious, almost defensive.

Frisk shrugged outwardly, despite Flowey's odd stare. _I dunno. Maybe what you are? A name?_

The voice was quiet for a long time, and Frisk figured that they weren't going to reply. They felt guilty at the possibility of making it uncomfortable, and tugged on the straps of their backpack as they started walking towards the lab.

_Alright._

They stopped in place for a moment in surprise, and then smiled brightly. Patiently waiting for whatever the voice was going to tell them, Frisk happily walked (almost skipped) towards the entrance of the lab.

_My name is Chara._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE MIDTERMS NEXT WEEK END ME
> 
> anyways i hope you enjoyed this chapter. yes a lot happened. poor frisk.
> 
> comments are always appreciated!!


	12. Chapter 12

The lighting inside the lab was quite dim, and Frisk had to squint to be able to see. The floors were plated with a metallic tile, and even though Frisk was small, their footsteps made a soft clanking noise when they took a step. The walls were a bright shade of green that hurt Frisk's eyes. As they walked further, the very first thing they noticed was a giant monitor with their face on it. When they turned to look at it, they were looking at the back of their head (was their hair really that tangled?).

Frisk looked around the room, searching for some kind of camcorder, but they couldn't find one. Then they suddenly recalled the cameras that had been in the bush by the Ruins door, and the one in the waterfall. Was whoever running the lab watching them?

They walked up to the screen, examining the back of their head and automatically reaching behind them to touch it. There were buttons and levers on the monitor, but Frisk didn't dare touch it in fear of breaking something.

There was a desk beside the monitor, cluttered with papers and a large leaning tower of dirty dishes and ramen cups. There was a computer on the desk, with sticky notes plastered on the sides and screen.

Frisk walked past the fridge and towards the other side, and then suddenly one of the doors slid open loudly—causing them to jump. A short, plump figure exited from the door, and it slid closed beside them as soon as they walked out. The lights suddenly flickered on, hurting Frisk's eyes, and they instinctively reached up to cover them.

The figure looked towards them, and then gasped loudly. She seemed to look frightened, and even nervous. "Oh. My God," she said, and Frisk tilted their head at her curiously. "I didn't expect you to show up so soon! I haven't showered, I'm barely dressed, it's all messy, and..." She was pacing around frantically, sweat dripping from her forehead, and Frisk's only thought was, _She was expecting me?_

 _She says she hasn't showered but she should take a look at you_ , Chara remarked, and Frisk scoffed at them.

She suddenly stopped her pacing, and then turned to Frisk nervously. "Umm... H-h-hiya!" she stammered out, waving shyly. "I'm Dr. Alphys! I'm Asgore's royal scientist!" Alphys smiled, but then suddenly looked panicked. "B-b-but, ahhh, I'm not one of the 'bad guys'! Actually, since you've stepped out of the Ruins, I've been, uh... 'observing' your journey through my console."

Frisk looked back at the monitor, seeing the side of their face that was swollen with bruises, and frowned a bit. They had never really liked looking at their reflection anyways.

"Your fights... your friendships"—Frisk immediately glanced down at the bag, reminded of Flowey, who had been strangely silent and lifeless when they stepped into the lab—"Everything!"

They turned their attention back to Alphys.

"I was originally going to stop you, but..." She blushed sheepishly, cracking a smile. "Watching someone on a screen really makes you root for them!"

Frisk smiled at her, ignoring the burn of the cuts on their face.

"S-so, uh, now I want to help you!" Alphys declared, trying to gain a grasp at confidence. "Using my knowledge, I can easily guide you through Hotland! I know a way right to Asgore's castle, no problem!"

 _Wait for it_ , Chara said in anticipation, and Frisk raised an eyebrow.

Then she frowned slightly, pursing her lips. "Well, actually, umm, there's just a _tiny_ issue."

_There it is._

"A long time ago, I made a robot named Mettaton. Originally, I built him to be an entertainment robot." She blushed. "Uh, y'know, like a robotic TV star or something. Anyway, recently I decided to make him more useful. You know, just some small practical adjustments. Like... um..."

Frisk leaned in.

"Anti... anti-human combat features?"

_And there it is again._

"Of c-course, when I saw you coming, I immediately decided I have to remove those features! Unfortunately, I may have made a _teensy_ mistake while doing so. And... um..." She hesitated, shifting her weight left and right awkwardly. "Now he's an unstoppable killing machine with a thirst for human blood?"

Frisk's eyes widened in terror.

"But, umm, hopefully we won't run into him!" she tried, holding out her arms and shaking her hands.

There was suddenly a loud clanking noise, and Frisk flinched. Alphys didn't seem fazed at all, and she gave Frisk a strange look. "Did you hear something...?"

The clanks became louder and louder and closer and closer and quicker, until they stopped.

"Oh no."

The lights went dark.

"OHHHH YES! WELCOME, BEAUTIES..."

There was a spotlight coming seemingly from nowhere, and it shined down upon a grey, large, rectangular box moving around on a wheel.

"... TO TODAY'S QUIZ SHOW!!!!!"

A giant, colorful sign that read "GAME SHOW", along with two disco balls, descending from the ceiling and hung over him. Confetti rained down upon the three of them, and Frisk looked up, catching one of them in their hands.

"OH BOY! I CAN ALREADY TELL IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT SHOW!!" Mettaton was yelling into the microphone even though his mouth was nowhere to be seen. "EVERYONE GIVE A BIG HAND FOR OUR WONDERFUL CONTESTANT!!"

Suddenly, a large amount of confetti rained down upon Frisk, and they looked between Mettaton and Alphys with a shocked look. Alphys looked nervous, while Mettaton was clapping with overexcitement.

"NEVER PLAYED BEFORE, GORGEOUS?" Frisk shook their head despite that the question had most likely been rhetorical. "NO PROBLEM! IT'S SIMPLE! THERE'S ONLY ONE RULE. ANSWER CORRECTLY..."

He paused. _For dramatic effect_ , Chara added.

"... OR YOU DIE!!!"

Frisk stiffened. Suddenly, they lurched forward, feeling their soul be pulled from their body until it hovered in front of them. They felt panic rise in their throat, and took a deep breath to keep themself calm.

"LET'S START WITH AN EASY ONE!" Mettaton declared, and produced a giant screen out of thin air. There were words on it, and Frisk had to lean in to read them.

_What's the prize for answering correctly?_

There were four answer choices: "money", "mercy", "new car", and "more questions". Frisk's eyes lingered on the second option for a moment, but figuring that it was the most obvious and therefore incorrect choice (if this was a game show to the death, it wouldn't be _that_ easy), they looked at the three other choices.

 _Choose "new car",_ Chara laughed.

Frisk's gaze shifted to the option, and Mettaton seemed to take this as their answer choice even though they made no move to choose it. He suddenly zapped at their soul with a static-y blast from his fingertip, and Frisk choked out a cough as pain sprung through their body.

"HAHA, YOU WISH! WRONG!!!!" Mettaton laughed cruelly, and Frisk wheezed.

 _Oops_ , Chara said, sounding surprised. It seemed that they hadn't realized that Frisk would actually get hurt. Frisk decided to shrug it off.

The next question appeared.

_What's the king's full name?_

For a moment, Chara suddenly went silent. Frisk felt their mouth get dry, and assumed it was because of their influence. But after a moment, Frisk felt them pick themself up, and they said, _Choose C. Asgore Dreemurr._

Frisk didn't hesitate, and pointed to the answer choice.

Mettaton looked dramatically surprised, and confetti rained down all across them again. "CORRECT! WHAT A TERRIFIC ANSWER!" he exclaimed, the grid of lights on his body glinting and changing colors sporadically. "ENOUGH ABOUT YOU! LET'S TALK ABOUT ME!!!"

_What are robots made of?_

Frisk looked at all the answer choices, and then realized that Alphys was on the side, forming her hands into the correct answers. She was signing the letter B, and Frisk immediately chose that answer: _Metal & Magic._

"TOO EASY FOR YOU, HUH??? HERE'S ANOTHER EASY ONE FOR YOU!"

 _Two trains, Train A and Train B, simultaneously depart Station A and Station B. Station A and Station B are 252.5 miles away from each other. Train A is moving at_ —

Okay. No. Frisk liked to believe that they were decent at math and school stuff, but they weren't that smart. Neither was Chara apparently, for they were reading the question rapidly and yelling about the absurdity of the specific numbers and decimals.

More answer options came up, and Frisk didn't bother looking at Alphys when they chose a random answer. They weren't prepared for the sudden zap to their soul, and groaned out loud, feeling their throat burn and clench.

"WRONG! WRONG! WROOOOOOONG!!!!" Mettaton seemed to be taking some sick pleasure in watching Frisk suffer—or he was just having a fun time with his game show. "DON'T 'COUNT' ON YOUR VICTORY!"

_How many flies are in this jar?_

A jar full of flies materialized in front of Frisk, and they jumped back in surprise. There were too many flies to even start counting, and they were buzzing around rapidly and hitting the sides of the glass, trying to break free. Desperate, Frisk looked over at Alphys, and chose the answer that she was signing.

"CORRECT! YOU'RE SO LUCKY TODAY!" Frisk resisted the urge to roll their eyes at that. "LET'S PLAY MEMORY GAME!"

_What monster is this?_

The picture on the screen depicted half the face of a monster of what seemed to look like Froggit from the Ruins. Frisk tilted their head, and pointed to that answer. They hadn't been paying attention to Alphys, who was signing a completely different answer. As Frisk's soul was painfully zapped once more, she gasped and put her hands over her mouth.

"BOY, THAT'S EMBARRASSING, HUH?"

The force of the zap caused Frisk to stumble back and land on their behind. They pouted, rubbing at the small of their back and glaring up at Mettaton.

"BUT CAN YOU GET THIS ONE?"

_Would you smooch a ghost?_

Frisk immediately thought back to Napstablook. _Oh my God_ , Chara said, and then started laughing, and Frisk just shook their head at them. All of the answer choices were "Heck Yeah", and Alphys was squinting at the answer choices in confusion, so Frisk just braced themself for another zap and chose a random answer. The sound for a correct answer filled their ears, and relief flooded their body.

"GREAT ANSWER!!! I LOVE IT!!!!" Mettaton seemed overjoyed, his grey, metallic body practically sparkling with glee. "HERE'S A SIMPLE ONE!"

_How many letters in the name Mettaton nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn..._

Frisk didn't bother paying attention the question and turned their head towards Alphys. She was signing the letter C. Frisk pointed at the answer, which was changing rapidly along with the others, and Mettaton gasped dramatically.

"OF COURSE THAT WAS EASY FOR YOU!" he exclaimed. "TIME TO BREAK OUT THE BIG GUNS!"

_In the dating simulation video game "Mew Mew Kissy Cutie" what is Mew Mew's favorite food?_

Before Frisk could even finish reading the question, Alphys jumped up and waved her hand in the air rapidly. "OH! OH! I KNOW THIS ONE! IT'S SNAIL ICE CREAM!!!!!" she shouted excitedly, eyes sparkling. "IN THE FOURTH CHAPTER EVERYONE GOES TO THE BEACH AND SHE BUYS ICE CREAM FOR ALL OF HER FRIENDS BUT IT'S SNAIL FLAVOR AND SHE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO WANTS IT!!!!! IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE GAME BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY A VERY POWERFUL message about friendship and..."

She broke into a sweat, freezing in place and glancing over at Mettaton.

"ALPHYS, ALPHYS, ALPHYS..." Mettaton tsked. "YOU AREN'T HELPING OUR CONTESTANT, ARE YOU?"

Alphys shook her head rapidly, although it wasn't very convincing.

"OOOOH!!!! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME! I'LL ASK A QUESTION YOU'LL BE SURE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO!!!" Mettaton declared, and Alphys covered her face with her hands nervously.

Frisk glanced between them oddly, raising an eyebrow.

_Who does Dr. Alphys have a crush on?_

Alphys shook her hands at Frisk frantically, smiling nervously, and Frisk took a look at the answer choices. Undyne, Asgore, the human, and another option for "don't know". They were an option? Frisk was tempted to choose...

They chose themself.

Surprisingly, a zap didn't come. Alphys looked somewhat annoyed, and Mettaton just shook his finger at them. "...SERIOUSLY? MY MY... HOW CONCEITED CAN YOU GET? I LOVE IT!"

Chara was dying in their head, wheezing and cackling at their reactions and supplying unhelpful commentary on what each one was thinking.

"AND WHILE YOU'RE COMPLETELY WRONG, YOU DESERVE SOME CREDIT!!! I'VE SEEN HER WATCH YOU ON HER COMPUTER SCREEN!" Mettaton said. "SMILING WHEN YOU SUCCEED. SHRIEKING WHEN YOU FAIL. AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS WHISPERING... 'NO! WRONG! YOU HAVE TO GO THAT WAY!' IN ITS OWN WAY, IS THIS NOT LOVE???"

 _Frisk, I can't believe you're flirting with the royal scientist oh my God_ , Chara laughed, and Frisk could feel a slight pressure against their shoulder, the impression of Chara's fist bumping their shoulder coming to mind.

"WELL WELL WELL... WITH DR. ALPHYS HELPING YOU, THE SHOW HAS NO DRAMATIC TENSION!!!" Mettaton declared, aghast. "WE CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS! BUT. BUT! THIS WAS JUST THE PILOT EPISODE! NEXT UP, MORE DRAMA! MORE ROMANCE! MORE BLOODSHED! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS...!!!"

Mettaton's arms and wheel retracted into his body and a fuse appeared where the wheel once was. It blasted him off, sending him flying off and through the ceiling. Frisk blinked up at it, and then looked over towards Alphys with confusion.

"Well that was certainly something," Alphys said and Chara hummed in agreement ( _I couldn't have said it better myself_ ). Then she gasped, as if with realzation. "Wait! Wait! Let me give you my p-phone number! Th-then m-maybe... if you need help... I could..."

Her eyes widened dramatically at the sight of Frisk's phone, that had been battered and cracked from the battles and falls it had suffered through.

"Wh... where'd you get that phone!? It's ANCIENT! It doesn't even have texting." She took the phone from their hands. "W-wait a second, please!"

She scurried off into the other room, and Frisk could hear faint whirring and chopping noises, along with whistling and humming. After a span of five minutes, Alphys returned with a futuristic-looking phone in her hands. Frisk stared at it with surprise, eyes wide and sparkling.

"Here, I upgraded it for you!" she said, handing it back to Frisk. Her fingers ran across the cuts on Frisk's palm and she flinched, but didn't say anything as Frisk eyed the new phone. They looked all around, playing with the screen, oblivious to how Alphys scanned her eyes up and down Frisk's body. "I-it can do texting, and it even has a keychain!" she said, trying to distract herself from the child's battered appearance. "I even signed you up for the underground's no. 1 social network! Now we're officially friends! Ehehehe... heh... heh..."

Frisk gave her a weird look as she glanced back and forth nervously.

"U-um... you seem to look... very injured," she finally mumbled, sheepishly pointing down at—well, all of them.

Frisk looked down, and rolled up their sleeves to look at the cuts and bruises and blood coating it. They widened their eyes, not realizing that they had been inflicted with so much damage. They looked down at their legs—their shorts were torn at the edges as well as their socks, and their shoes were unlaced and dirty, along with their legs covered to the brim in red and blue. Frisk assumed their face wasn't any better.

"Ah... uh... i-if you want," Alphys stammered, growing red and sweating, "I-I can l-let you use... my bathroom to shower. A-and I-I can patch you up! H-how does that sound?" She gave them a hopeful smile.

Frisk beamed, eyes sparkling with joy, and they nodded eagerly, standing on their toes to reach her height. Alphys smiled back at them, clapped her hands together, and then pointed to a nearby door. "T-that leads to the bathroom. It's a pretty s-simple shower. I'm sure you'll be able to handle it."

Frisk happily skipped up to the door, but then stopped, and pointed at their clothes.

"O-oh, when you take those off, p-put them outside the door so I can fix those too," Alphys said, and Frisk nodded.

They opened the door to the bathroom, set their bag (and Flowey, who was still as silent as can be) aside, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.

 

* * *

 

Frisk had never felt more refreshed in their life.

Even though Frisk couldn't see any hair on Alphys' head, she still owned shampoo and conditioner (also some kind of special body wash for fish scales). Frisk lathered their hair, feeling the dirt and dried blood wash out of it as they held their head under the warm water.

Next was their body. The soap seeped into their wounds and stung a little, but Frisk managed to clean the dirt and blood off them quickly, and felt bad at all the gross stuff that was going down Alphys' drain. They watched as the blood fell from their legs and onto the shower floor, only to be picked up by the water and sunk down the drain.

 _An endless cycle of worthless trash_ , Chara said.

Frisk raised an eyebrow. _Isn't this awkward for you right now?_

_Hm? Why should it be? Are YOU embarrassed?_

_No_ , Frisk replied truthfully. _I was just wondering._

 _Mm. Oh, and you missed a spot on your back. It's a pretty deep cut, so be careful_ , Chara said, and Frisk felt a small pang in the small of their back, presumably where Chara was notifying them.

 _Thanks_ , Frisk said and reached around to press the soap against that area. It stung, and Frisk grit their teeth until the pain washed away, and then scrubbed as hard as they could until Chara told them it was gone.

Frisk turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around themself and their hair, and then walked over to the mirror that was clouded with condensation. They wiped it off with their arm, and stared at their reflection.

This time, they saw themself rather than someone else.

They were as lanky as ever—their usual dark skin lighter from blood loss and injury, their usual bright and expressive eyes dull (with odd red flecks behind the vibrant blue and brown). The dirt had been washed away from their body, but it didn't get rid of the cuts and bruises. Those still remained, some old cuts bringing back harsh memories, and some bruises telling tales Frisk didn't want to talk about.

They absentmindedly put a hand over their throat, tapping it with two fingers and letting out a small sigh.

Frisk opened their mouth. But no sound came out.

Frowning a bit, they scolded themself for feeling disappointed, and tightened the towel around their body. They were surprised to see their clothes lying on the counter—just where had they come from? Frisk quickly dried themself off, and picked up the sweater that was as good as new. All the cuts and tears in it had been sewn up with patches, and it was washed free of the blood and dirt that had once coated it. Their shorts were fixed, their socks were warm, and their shoes were clean and fresh and snug.

They smiled as they put on their clothes, feeling the dampness of their hair and just deciding to let it air dry. They gingerly picked up their used towels and set them in the nearby basket before walking out.

"O-oh! You look much better already!" Alphys exclaimed, sitting at her computer before turning towards Frisk. She pulled out a small first-aid kit and motioned for them to come closer. "I always have this around for... emergencies. Sometimes a friend comes over with injuries from fighting or hurting herself and... I patch her up sometimes."

Frisk raised their eyebrows in amusement, and Alphys pretended not to notice (it was an awful attempt, however, because Alphys went beet red).

Alphys took one of Frisk's arms, rolling up the sleeves and wrapping a bandage around the whole of their forearm, as well as a few of their fingers that had been affected. On the other arm, there weren't as many cuts, but on the shoulder was where Frisk had been most affected. Frisk took off their shirt with ease, allowed Alphys to wrap the bandage around their shoulder and sides, and Frisk felt a slight sting as they realized that the bandages must have been coated with disinfectant.

Once she was done with the bigger injuries, Alphys turned her attention to the smaller ones on Frisk's legs. She wrapped a bandage around a rather large cut on Frisk's ankle, and then took out a box of multi-colored Band-Aids from the kit.

"W-which one?" she asked, holding out an orange, pink, green, and blue one.

Frisk pointed to all of them, and Alphys just laughed. She placed the orange and green ones across their left knee, the pink on their right, and Alphys leaned upwards to place the blue one directly across Frisk's freckled nose. They smiled, giggling silently, and Alphys smiled at them.

 **Thank you** , Frisk signed, and stretched out their refreshed body.

Alphys tilted her head at them, and Frisk fumbled with their hands until they were able to play some kind of odd game of charades and deliver the message to her. Once she realized, she blushed in embarrassment and tried to laugh it off.

"A-ah, um... you're welcome! I'm glad I could be of help!"

Frisk smiled, and then wiggled their toes, looking down at their feet and smiling. They slung their backpack (which, apparently, had also been fixed up) around their back, and waved to Alphys before beginning to head out the door.

"W-wait!" Alphys called, and Frisk stopped in their tracks, turning around. She stammered, tripping over her words and sweating, but she opened her mouth and pointed to the bag. "T-that bag... um..."

Frisk slung the backpack off their shoulders and opened it. Flowey hissed up at them, his face what one would categorize as the demonic sort, and Frisk flinched in surprise, quickly fastening it shut. They didn't know if Alphys had heard the hiss, but judging from the look on her face, she probably had.

"B-be careful..." she mumbled. "...w-with the contents of that bag, okay?"

Frisk wasn't sure what she meant, but they nodded anyway.

 

* * *

 

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ just realized i didn't watch undyne fight the human v.v

Frisk pocketed their phone and started walking again. It was very hot out, and Frisk was regretting not asking Alphys for maybe a lighter shirt. Maybe they could go back and—

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ well i know she's unbeatable i'll ask her abt it later ^.^

 _Oh my God the emoticons_ , Chara groaned. _If this is going to be like the monologues, I swear_ —

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ for now i gotta call up the human and guide them =^.^=

_UUUUGH._

Frisk laughed silently as they carefully stepped onto a rapidly-moving platform. _Calm down, Chara. I think Alphys is cool._

_BUT THE EMOTICONS. C'MON, FRISK, REALLY?_

_Yes_ , Frisk pressed, their lips twitching upward in amusement.

 _Man, it's too bad we can't kill her_ , Chara said, and Frisk froze, their feet just barely hanging over the next platform. _Well, I can't kill her. When are you going to give up, Frisk?_

_...What do you mean by "give up"?_

_I MEAN, relinquish control. You know_ , Chara said as if Frisk were stupid.

Frisk blinked a few times, clenching their fists. Their heart and soul began to beat as one, and Chara seemed taken aback by their sudden defiance in their presence. Frisk gritted their teeth, but then suddenly their phone chirped. Ignoring the annoyed sigh in their head, Frisk opened it up.

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ gonna call them in a minute! =^.^=

Once they read the message, Frisk quietly put their phone back in their back pocket and started walking along the pipes that were formed as if as a bridge to the next area. Chara was waiting for something—perhaps a response, or maybe some kind of shout or cry.

But all they got was a firm, solid _No._

 _"No"?_ Chara scoffed. _What do you mean "no"?_

 _I mean no. No as in I'm not going to let you kill anyone._ Chara made an offended noise, and tried to speak up, but Frisk was louder than them. _I will NOT let you hurt anybody! What have any of them done to YOU? You give off the vibe of a sad, troubled person, and I want to help you. I want to help you be better. I want you to be good._

 _"Good". GOOD?_ Chara yelled, their voice taking on a terrifying distort. _You think anything about ME is GOOD? You don't know ANYTHING about me, or where I came from, or how I died, or what I am. So you have NO RIGHT to speak about me like that, GOT IT?_

Frisk just smiled, folding their hands behind their back and humming. _Well, then we'll get to know everything about each other. How's that sound?_

_Wh—No! Didn't you hear what I JUST SAID?_

_So, Chara, you said you died sometime during your rant._

Chara sputtered, and then went silent, seeming fuming quietly. Frisk smiled smugly, waiting for them to say something again. When they didn't, Frisk stopped in their tracks and turned back.

 _What are you doing?_ Chara asked, but received no reply.

"Why are you going back??" Flowey questioned in annoyance, an irritated look on his face.

**To find Papyrus.**

_WHAT!?_

Flowey looked between their hands and their face, taking a moment to wonder how on earth they managed to scrub the deep coating of dirt and blood off themself. He frowned, narrowing his eyes, and attempting to figure out what they had just said. All he could understand was "To find", but he wasn't sure what they had signed after that.

Whatever it was, they were going back to find it.

"We should be heading to the castle already," Flowey deadpanned, his voice a harsh whisper. " _To find Asgore_."

 **We will** , Frisk assured. **But I want to do something first.**

Flowey groaned, giving up on trying to understand their thinking. He didn't even notice they had entered the lab again until he heard a shocked, familiar gasp. His eyes widened, and he darted back into the backpack without even looking to see who gasped.

Frisk looked, though, and they gave Alphys a strange look. She was completely pale, shaking in her boots, her mouth chattering as she stammered awkwardly. They tilted their head at her, walking closer in concern.

"Ah... n-nothing," she said, and turned away. "S-so, where are you going?"

 **To find Papyrus and Undyne** , Frisk signed, but then stopped once they realized she couldn't understand. They pursed their lips, and smiled when Alphys handed them a piece of paper and a pen. They wrote their message down, and held it out to her.

Alphys' pale, scared expression quickly changed to a surprised, bashful one. Her face went red and she laughed nervously. "A-a-ah, um, t-tell... uh, tell U-Undyne I said hi..."

Frisk just nodded with a smile, and walked out of the lab.

 _You don't even know where Undyne's house IS,_ Chara spat. _And what's with the sudden decision to find her?_

 _Well, she was an enemy before, right? A bad guy. But maybe I can be friends with her, so she'll be good,_ Frisk replied with a grin. _And then YOU'LL learn how to be good._

Chara was speechless as Frisk walked out of Hotland.

 

* * *

 

"Tra la la, I am the riverman," said the one at the boat. "Or am I the riverwoman...?"

Frisk giggled.

"Where would you like to go today?"

 **Waterfall** , they signed.

"Then we're off!"

 

* * *

 

Finding where Papyrus was took a rather long amount of time, and Frisk was surprised to see Papyrus standing in front of a large fish-shaped house right beside the area where Napstablook's house was.

"OHO!" he exclaimed. "THE HUMAN ARRIVES! ARE YOU READY TO HANG OUT WITH UNDYNE???"

Frisk nodded eagerly, and ignored Chara's groan.

"I HAVE A PLAN TO MAKE YOU TWO GREAT FRIENDS!!!" Papyrus assured. "OKAY! STAND BEHIND ME!"

Frisk did as they were told, and then blinked in surprise when they were handed a bone wrapped in yellow wrapping paper. "MAKE SURE TO GIVE HER THIS! SHE LOVES THESE!" Papyrus told them, attempting to whisper, although he was still rather loud. Frisk wondered if he was even able to talk quietly.

Papyrus knocked on the door, and Frisk felt themself getting nervous as the teeth on the door slid open, revealing Undyne without her armor. She looked somehow less intimidating without it, but Frisk couldn't get the image of her grin as she rained spears down on them.

"Hi, Papyrus!" she greeted in a fond tone. "Ready for your extra private, one-on-one training?"

 _Not extra private and one-on-one anymore_ , Chara muttered.

"YOU BET I AM!!! AND I BROUGHT A FRIEND!!!" Papyrus stepped to the side, gesturing to Frisk with a proud look.

Frisk blinked, and then stared up at Undyne nervously. But they were determined to look brave, so they stood tall.

"Hi," Undyne said. "I don't think we've—" She stopped, her face twisting into an unreadable expression as she glanced between Papyrus and Frisk repeatedly. Then she gave them a forced smile. "Why don't. You two. Come in?"

 _Oh boy_ , Chara sighed as Frisk followed Papyrus as he wiped his feet and rushed inside.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the transition from hotland to undyne's house kinda sucks, but when i tried to fix it i had to delete a bunch of stuff that i wanted to keep in. so i'll just leave it as that for now, but maybe in the future i'll somehow edit it to make it more smooth.
> 
> anyway. i hope you enjoyed this chapter!!!
> 
> comments are always appreciated!!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im pretty sure i pronounce everyones names wrong in undertale
> 
> papyrus: pap-yuh-russ
> 
> alphys: al-fiss
> 
> chara: like charcoal
> 
> tfw

The interior of Undyne's house was far from what Frisk was expecting (they didn't know _what_ they were expecting, but it wasn't this). The exterior looked intimidating and fierce, but the inside looked almost cozy and humble. The floor was a bright checkered pattern of blue and yellow, save for a few purple carpets underneath the table and by the window, and the walls were pink and blue. It was made of up a simple kitchen and dining table, as well as a piano to the side. There was another door in the far left corner, which Frisk assumed led to her bedroom.

The only intimidating thing in the room was the large sword leaning against the wall by the table.

Frisk stayed close to Papyrus as the two walked inside, and Frisk's grip on the straps of their backpack tightened slightly as Undyne's gaze hardened on them.

"HERE, UNDYNE. MY FRIEND BROUGHT A GIFT FOR YOU, ON THEIR OWN." Papyrus held out his hand towards Frisk, and they slowly handed the gift back to him in confusion. Papyrus then proudly held up the gift with a grin.

Undyne looked between them unsurely. "Uhh... thanks," she said, stepping forward and taking it from him. "I'll, uh, put it with the others." She walked over to a drawer by the sink and opened it, setting the wrapped gift on top of multiple other wrapped gifts, all shaped the same way. All the same gifts.

Chara laughed, _Somehow I'm not surprised._

"How does he have so many??" Flowey whispered, his head just barely peeking out of the bag so he could see what was going on.

Undyne walked back up to them, and raised an eyebrow. "So are we ready to start?"

"WHOOPSY DOOPSY! I JUST REMEMBERED!!!" Papyrus shouted, glancing to the side with an odd look on his face. "I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!!! YOU TWO HAVE FUN!!!" He said all in one breath, and then took a running start and—

—crashed straight through the window.

Frisk blinked, stepping back in surprise and just barely avoiding one of the shards that scattered across the floor. Undyne didn't even looked annoyed by the fact that he had just broken her window, and she silently turned to Frisk with a suspicious expression.

"So why are YOU here??" she demanded, narrowing her eyes threateningly. "To rub your victory in my face? To humiliate me even further?" An unsettling grin spread across her face. "IS THAT IT????"

Frisk shook their head.

"Then why are you here?" She frowned, crossing her arms. Then, suddenly, as if in a brilliant moment of realization, she turned to them with wide eyes. "Wait, I get it. You think that I'm gonna be friends with you, huh? RIGHT??"

Frisk blinked a few times, and then tapped their fingers against the backpack strap as they nodded slowly.

"Really? How delightful! I accept!!!" she said all too sweetly. "Let's all frolic in the fields of friendship!" She paused, and then clasped her hands together in front of her chest and whipped her head around to glare at Frisk, all while grinning. "NOT!!! Why would I EVER be friends with YOU!? If you weren't my houseguest, I'd beat you up right now!!"

Frisk shrunk a little. _At least she has some sense of manners_ , Chara said to them.

"You're the enemy of everyone's hopes and dreams! I WILL NEVER BE YOUR FRIEND," Undyne continued, and Frisk resisted the urge to sigh. Was she really going with this whole spiel again? "NOW GET OUT OF MY HOUSE."

"DANG!" Papyrus suddenly said, his face appearing in the broken window, and Frisk flinched. "WHAT A SHAME... I THOUGHT UNDYNE COULD BE FRIENDS WITH YOU. BUT I GUESS... I OVERESTIMATED HER."

 _Is he doing what I think he's doing?_ Chara asked.

"SHE'S JUST NOT UP TO THE CHALLENGE."

_HE IS ISN'T HE._

Papyrus scurried away just as a terrifying expression formed on Undyne's face. She looked beyond enraged. "CHALLENGE!? WHAT!?" she boomed. "Papyrus! Wait a second!" But he was already gone. "Damn—Darnit!" she growled under her breath. "He thinks I can't be friends with YOU!? Fuhuhu! What a joke! I could make friends with a wimpy loser like you any day!!!"

Frisk pouted. Sure, they were a little kid and afraid of a lot of things, but they weren't a wimpy loser. They were pretty brave at times, and had common sense.

 _I don't think you're a wimpy loser_ , Chara said. _Sure, you may be a loser, but you're not wimpy._

 _Thanks_ , Frisk said, giggling silently.

"I'll show him!!!!" Undyne continued, clenching her fist determinedly. She directed her gaze towards Frisk, and her eye glinted. "Listen up, human. We're not _just_ going to be friends. We're going to be..." She put her hands on either side of her face. "...BESTIES."

Frisk blinked at her, tilting their head slightly.

"I'll make you like me so much you won't be able to think of anyone else!" Undyne declared, her eye sharp. "Fuhuhuhu! It's the PERFECT REVENGE!"

 _This sounds like the plot of a bad anime_ , Chara said. Frisk snickered.

Undyne suddenly gave Frisk a sweet smile, folding her hands in front of her chest. "Why don't you have a seat?" she asked kindly.

"Huh," Flowey muttered quietly. "I guess that stupid skeleton is smarter than I gave him credit for."

Frisk glanced around the room, and then hesitantly took a seat at the table. They glanced at her sword, and pointed to it curiously. Undyne followed their finger, and then smirked.

"Humans suck, but their history... kinda rules," she said. "Case in point: this giant sword! Historically, humans wielded swords up to 10x their size! RIGHT??"

Frisk blinked, and then shook their head. They weren't even sure humans could carry swords that large. Where was she getting all of her information from?

"Pfft! You liar!" Undyne scoffed, obviously not believing them. "I've READ Alphys' human history book collection! I know ALL about your giant swords, your colossal, alien-fighting robots, your supernatural princesses... Heh! There's no _way_ you're gonna fool me!!!"

 _She's talking about anime, isn't she_ , Chara deadpanned, and Frisk remembered the anime books disguised as history books in Alphys' lab. Was... was _that_ where she was getting her information from?

Frisk just shrugged, and folded their hands politely under the table, looking expectantly up at Undyne.

"Comfortable?" she asked, although obviously not caring for the answer. "I'll get you something to drink."

Undyne wandered over to the fridge, opening it and pulling out a bundle of items. She carried them all impressively with one arm, setting each item down onto the counter and then stepping to the side so Frisk could see them. "All set! What would you like?"

Frisk leaned up, squinting a bit, but they couldn't really see the options from all the way at the table. They swiveled their feet around, pushing off the chair to get up, but then suddenly there was a bright blue spear hurdling towards them and embedding itself into the table. Frisk jumped back with wide eyes, clinging to the chair and staring fearfully at the spear. They slowly turned their gaze towards Undyne, who was sporting a fierce expression and her body into a fighting position.

"HEY! DON'T GET UP!!!" she yelled angrily, eye ablaze. "YOU'RE THE GUEST!!! SIT DOWN AND ENJOY YOURSELF!!!"

 _Yikes_ , Chara murmured as Frisk took a deep breath and slumped their shoulders.

"...Um, why not just point to what you want?" Undyne suggested awkwardly, trying to decrease the tension in the room with a (forced) patient smile. "You can use the spear!"

Frisk looked down at the spear that had been launched into the table. They hesitantly lifted their hands, hovering over the spear and flinching at the waves of pulsing magic that made goosebumps appear on their skin and the hairs on the back of their neck stand up. Frisk slowly wrapped their small hands around it, and pulled it out of the table with surprising ease. It was light, and Frisk could feel the wavelengths of magic flowing through their body as they held it.

Once they got a good grip on it, Undyne was giving them a strange look, and Frisk looked down to realize that the spear was pointed directly at her.

"...Are you... hitting on me???" she asked, and Frisk could practically see the question marks floating above her head.

Chara was dying laughing in their head, and Flowey just sighed. "Would it kill you to NOT flirt with someone for once?" he muttered, and Frisk gave him a cheeky smile.

They turned, looking down at the spear and struggling to see what the items were. Chara let out a sigh.

 _Sugar_ , they said as Frisk pointed the spear towards the item to the farthest to the left. _Goes in tea._

"That sugar's for the tea," Undyne said once she saw the spear pointed at it. "I'm not gonna give you a cup of sugar! What do I look like, the ice-cream woman?" She began to laugh loudly. "Do human ice-scream women TERRORIZE HUMANITY with ENERGY SPEARS??? Are their ice-cream songs a PRELUDE TO DESTRUCTION?? IS THAT IT???"

 _I wish_ , Chara said in amusement as Frisk shook their head.

"That's what I thought," Undyne said smugly.

Frisk pursed their lips, and then maneuvered the spear towards the next item, waiting for Chara to explain it. _Soda_ , they scoffed. _Sickly yellow liquid._

"Oh, soda?" Undyne asked. "Actually, even though you pointed to it, you don't look happy." Frisk blinked in confusion as Undyne grinned. "Heh, that's fine! I think soda's gross, too! It rots your teeth... it rots your mind... IT ROTS YOUR FIGHTING SPIRIT!!!"

Frisk gave her a weird look, raising their eyebrows.

"...Huh? Why do I have it?" she guessed. She didn't say anything further, but a small blush appeared on her cheeks as she looked off to the side.

They didn't question it. Instead, they moved onto the next item.

 _Hot chocolate_ , Chara said, and gave off the impression of a frown. _But it's just a green cylinder._

"Oh, you want some hot chocolate?" Undyne asked, and Frisk decided that she really needed to stop assuming that that's what they wanted before they confirmed it was, in fact, what they wanted. "Wait, wait, I just remembered... that container's empty."

Frisk gave her a deadpanned look.

"I stopped getting it because it was always a hassle..." she said, and then laughed. "Asgore kept getting marshmallows stuck in his beard!"

Surprisingly, Chara laughed with her. But it wasn't their usual complacent chuckle. It was a genuine snicker, as if they were remembering something. And even though it was faint, Frisk could see a small image in their mind of two small figures drinking out of matching cups with a much larger figure. They assumed it was one of Chara's memories.

But Chara didn't seem to realize that they just accidentally shared something with Frisk (even if it was so small Frisk could hardly see it).

They moved the spear to the last item, and Chara immediately snapped out of whatever it is they were remembering. _Teabox_ , they said, giving off the impression of a shrug. _Blatantly correct choice._

Frisk sighed, and looked over at Undyne expectantly as she watched them point her spear at the tea.

"Tea, huh?" she mumbled. "Coming right up!"

She seemed glad to distract herself with something as she headed towards the teabox and took out a package. Then she went into the cupboard and took out a teapot, setting the stove to high and setting the pot over the flames. "It'll take a moment for the water to boil," she said, turning her back to look at Frisk before turning all of her attention to the fire.

Flowey took the time while she was distracted to look Frisk in the eyes. "Remind me why we're here again," he muttered in annoyance.

Frisk gave him a weird look, like it wasn't obvious. **To be friends with her** , they signed. _And to learn the true meaning of friendship_ , they added at Chara.

 _Ha ha._ If they could, Frisk felt like Chara would be rolling their eyes.

"We're wasting so much time right now," Flowey said, sighing. His eyes flashed with a dangerous glint. "We should be heading to the castle. You could just get up, say you have to go, and done."

Frisk shook their head, and Flowey retreated back into the backpack, cursing under his breath.

"Okay, it's all done!" Undyne announced, turning back towards them. She took the fish-shaped cup from the sink and rinsed it before taking the teapot and pouring the hot tea into the cup. She picked it up with two hands, careful not to spill it, and set it in front of Frisk. "Here we are," she said, and then sat down at the other side of the table, across from Frisk.

Frisk looked at the steaming cup.

"Careful, it's hot," Undyne warned, picking at her scales awkwardly.

They took the cup into their hands, and then quickly set it down with a wince. The tea was so hot that it made the cup hot, and it burned their hands. Frisk could only wonder how much heat Undyne had used to make the tea.

"It's not THAT hot! Just drink it already!!!" Undyne yelled exasperatedly.

Frisk flinched at her tone, and picked up the cup despite how it burnt their skin. They blew a little at the liquid, and then took a sip. It was burning, but Frisk resisted the urge to spit it back out. The scalding hot tea burnt their throat and made their mouth feel like it was on fire, but other than that, it was pretty good.

"It's pretty good, right?" Undyne asked as Frisk took another sip to get used to the heat. "Nothing but the best for my ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS FRIEND!!!"

There was a silence between them. Frisk's gaze switched from the steaming tea to her face over and over, trying to get a read on what she was thinking. She looked like she was pondering something serious, and then frowned slightly. She stopped picking at her scales, and let her hands overlap one another.

"You know... it's kind of strange you chose THAT tea," she said, and Frisk automatically glanced down at the cup. "Golden flower tea... That's Asgore's favorite kind."

Flowey and Chara were strangely silent.

"Actually, now that I think about it, you kind of remind me of him." A silly smile stretched across her face. "You're both TOTAL weenies!" Then she paused. "...sort of."

 _Chara?_ Frisk asked, trying to get their attention. Their presence, even if they weren't talking, always filled the void in their head. Now it was just replaced with a strange wind sound.

"Y'know... I was a pretty hotheaded kid," Undyne said with a small sigh. "Once, to prove I was the strongest, I tried to fight Asgore. Emphasis on TRIED. I couldn't land a single blow on him!! And worse, the whole time, he refused to fight back! I was so humiliated... Afterwards, he apologized and said something goofy..." She laughed softly. "'Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?' I said yes, and from then on, he trained me. One day, during practice, I finally knocked him down." Undyne's face pinched into a frown for a moment. "I felt... bad. But he was beaming. I had never seen someone more proud to get their butt kicked!"

Frisk heard a laugh, and realized that it was coming from Chara. They felt relieved to hear them again, but was worried at the tone of Chara's laugh. It almost sounded... resigned.

"Anyway, long story short, he kept training me... and now I'm the head of the Royal Guard! So I'm the one who gets to train dorks to fight!" She hesitated. "Like, uh, Papyrus. But, um, to be honest... I don't know if I can ever let Papyrus into the Royal Guard." She looked panicked for a moment as she gave Frisk a hard look. "Don't tell him I said that!" Then she sighed, looking off to the side. "He's just... well... I mean, it's not that he's weak. He's actually pretty freaking tough!"

Frisk assumed that he was. They didn't really get the chance to fight him because they had burst into tears before any real fighting could happen (which, admittedly, was a very embarrassing moment for them), but he had managed to get one or two attacks before they had stopped.

"It's just that... he's..." Undyne huffed. "He's too innocent and nice!! I mean, look, he was SUPPOSED to capture you. And he ended up being FRIENDS with you instead! I could NEVER send him into battle! He'd get ripped into little smiling shreds."

 

> _"BUT... BUT STILL!!" Papyrus was struggling to speak, his voice coming out in staggered gulps. "I-I BELIEVE IN YOU!!"_

Frisk froze, their grip tightening on the tea cup and their eyes widening. It was something they had never seen before... and yet, they felt like they have. Like a repressed memory. But if it had to do with Papyrus, then they would remember. Right?

Inside their head, Chara was chuckling darkly.

"That's part of why I started teaching him how to cook, you know?" Undyne continued, oblivious to Frisk's inner turmoil. "So, um, maybe he can do something else with his life." She sighed, scratching the back of her neck, and then she seemed to realize something. Her head perked up, and she looked over at Frisk with a blank expression. "Oh, sorry, I was talking for so long... You're out of tea, aren't you? I'll get you some more."

She stood up, taking a step forward, and then she stopped. Undyne stood there for a few moments, before letting her hands fall to her sides. "Wait a second," she said. "Papyrus... his cooking lesson..."

Something seemed to click in her head, and she clenched her fists with a furious expression.

"HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW!!! And if HE'S not here to have it... YOU'LL HAVE TO HAVE IT FOR HIM!!!!"

Frisk's eyes widened slightly as Undyne jumped in the air, landing onto the counter and running across it, knocking everything off of it in the process.

"THAT'S RIGHT!!! NOTHING has brought Papyrus and I closer than cooking!!!" she declared. "Which means that if I give you his lesson, WE'LL BECOME CLOSER THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE!!!!" She put her hands on her hips proudly, and tossed her head back as she cackled. "AFRAID!? We're gonna be best friends!!"

She jumped back into the air, landing beside Frisk. They flinched in surprise as she grabbed them by the head, making them lean comically to the side as she jumped back towards the counter, setting them down on the floor beside her. Frisk rubbed at the spot she had pulled as Undyne turned to them.

"Let's start with the sauce!!!" she exclaimed, and then stomped on the floor. Vegetables rained down seemingly from nowhere and landed directly on the counter in front of Frisk. "Envision these vegetables as your greatest enemy!!!"

Frisk stood on their toes, their chin just barely reaching over the top. Undyne was very tall, and they assumed that the counters had been custom made to her height.

"Now! Pound them to dust with your fists!!!" Undyne instructed fiercely.

 _I got this_ , Chara said smugly, and for some reason Frisk felt as if they were rolling up hypothetical sleeves in preparation. They frowned and shook their head, reaching towards the vegetables and petting them in an affectionate manner.

"OH MY GOD!!!! STOP PETTING THE ENEMY!!!!" Undyne screamed. "I'll show you how it's done!! NGAHHH!!!!!!!!!" She lifted her clenched fist, her eye locked on target as she brought it down dramatically and smashed it against the vegetables. The force of the hit made the vegetables explode, and they splattered on the counter and walls, as well as each of their faces. She stared at the mess, and laughed nervously. "Uh we'll just scrape this into a bowl later. BUT FOR NOW!!"

Frisk watched as she stomped her foot again, and a pot landed perfectly onto the stove. They decided not to question where exactly the supplies was coming from, and followed Undyne as she stood in front of the stove. The stove was tall as well, but Frisk didn't try to lean over it in fear of burning themself.

"...we add the noodles!" Undyne finished, looking down at Frisk. "Homemade noodles are the best! BUT I JUST BUY STORE-BRAND!! THEY'RE THE CHEAPEST!!!!! _NGAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!_ "

Frisk laughed silently, clenching their fists in a similar way to Undyne and flexing their muscles like she was.

"Uh, just put them in the pot," Undyne said, letting her hands drop.

Frisk took the box of noodles, and then stood on their toes to see inside the pot. There was no water inside. Frisk looked questioningly at Undyne, but shrugged and put in the noodles one at a time. They clanked against the empty bottom.

"Nice?" Undyne said unsurely. "Alright! Now it's time to stir the pasta!"

Frisk was about to tell her that there wasn't any water inside, but Undyne wasn't listening.

"As a general rule of thumb, the more you stir... THE BETTER IT IS!!!!!" Undyne grinned at them, her gaze mad. "Ready? Let's do it!"

Frisk looked between her and the pot, and then grabbed the wooden spoon before stirring the pasta around awkwardly. It was hard to stir when they could barely lift their chin over the stove, and they had their arm at an awkward angle as they spun the spoon faster and faster.

"Stir harder!"

"HARDER!!"

" _HARDER!!!!_ "

Undyne then scoffed, taking the spoon from Frisk's hands. "Ugh, let me do it." She threw the spoon over her shoulder, and Frisk jumped back as a spear suddenly came down repeatedly against the pot, effectively stirring to whatever Undyne wanted, but also destroying the pot in the process.

"Fuhuhu!!! That's the stuff!" Undyne laughed. "Alright, now for the final step: TURN UP THE HEAT!!! Let the stove top symbolize your passion!! Let your hopes and dreams turn into burning fire!! READY? Don't hold anything back!!"

Frisk had to lean over the stove completely, their stomach pressing into the metal of it as they reached for the knob. They turned it up a little, and then looked over at Undyne. She was still waiting expectantly. They frowned, and turned it up about 50% more. Undyne was _still_ waiting. They turned it up a little bit more, and then Undyne shoved them aside.

"Ugh, let me do it!"

Suddenly, the pot burst into flames, and Frisk widened their eyes as they stared at the blazing fire.

"See!? THIS is how you—"

There was an explosion, and Frisk covered their face with their arms as they and Undyne were suddenly pushed back. When they opened their eyes, the entire house was in flames. The pot was black and charred, as well as Undyne's face.

"...Ah," she said slowly, looking around her. "Man, no wonder Papyrus sucks at cooking." She laughed softly to herself, and she and Frisk looked towards the ruined pasta in silence.

Undyne looked down at Frisk with an awkward, unsure smile. "So, what's next? Scrapbooking? Friendship bracelets?" Her smile faded slowly, and she sighed. "...oh, who am I kidding. I really screwed this up, didn't I?"

Frisk shook their head, but Undyne wasn't paying attention.

"I can't force you to like me, human. Some people just don't get along with each other," she said, sounding almost disappointed. "I understand if you feel that way about me. And if we can't be friends... that's okay."

Frisk shook their head again, a little bit harder, but she _still_ wasn't paying attention to them.

"Because... if we're not friends... IT MEANS I CAN DESTROY YOU WITHOUT REGRET!!!!"

They groaned internally as Undyne materialized a spear, just as Frisk's soul was pulled out of their body and presented in front of them. Undyne was standing there, her grip tightening on the handle of her spear as she closed her eyes.

"I've been defeated... My house is in shambles... I even failed to befriend you." She growled. "That's it. I don't care if you're my guest anymore. One final rematch! All out on both sides!" Undyne gave them a haughty grin. "IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN REGAIN MY LOST PRIDE!!!! NOW COME ON!!!! HIT ME WITH ALL YOU GOT!!!! NGAHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Undyne was letting Frisk make the first attack. They hesitated, unsure of what to do. They clenched and unclenched their fists with uncertainty before lifting one of their arms and pretending to swing at Undyne with all of their might.

For a moment, they thought they could see the faint outline of a weapon in their hands as they swung.

"What," Undyne said as she stumbled back slightly in surprise. "That's the best you can manage?" She stared at them in disbelief. "Even attacking at full force... you just can't muster any intent to hurt me, huh?" Undyne shook her head. "Heh, you know what?"

The spear fell from her hands, and disappeared before it hit the ground.

"I don't actually want to hurt you either."

Frisk beamed.

"At first, I hated your stupid saccharine schtick, but the way you hit me right now, it... reminded me of someone I used to train with," Undyne said with a soft, barely-there smile, and all Frisk could wonder was what _saccharine_ meant. "Now I know you aren't just some wimpy loser." Undyne chortled under her breath, and flashed them a large, genuine grin. "You're a wimpy loser with a big heart! Just like him..."

Undyne was quiet for a moment, and it seemed that she was trying to think of what to say. "Listen, human," she finally said, "it seems that you and Asgore are fated to fight. But knowing him... he probably doesn't want to. Talk to him. I'm sure you can persuade him to let you go home."

Frisk hid their frown. They didn't want to go home.

"Eventually, some mean human will fall down here, and I'll take THEIR soul instead. That makes sense, right?"

 _Eventually_ , Chara repeated, finally speaking up, but the tone of their voice made an unsettling feeling rise in the pit of Frisk's stomach.

"Oh, and if you DO hurt Asgore, I'll take the human souls, cross the barrier, and beat the hell out of you!!" she added with a twisted grin, but it didn't scare Frisk one bit; they only smiled right back at her. "That's what friends are for, right?"

She laughed again.

"Now let's get the hell out of this flaming house!"

 

* * *

 

"Well, that was fun, huh?" Undyne snickered as the two looked over at the burning house. "We'll have to hang out again another time!... But, uh, somewhere else, I guess."

Frisk smiled.

"In the meantime, I guess I'll go hang out with Papyrus. So if you need me, drop by Snowdin, okay!? OH! And if you ever need help, just give Papyrus a ring. Since we're in the same spot, I'll be able to talk too!" She grinned at them. "Well, see you later, punk!"

Frisk waved as she ran off excitedly. It wasn't until she was completely out of sight that Frisk realized that they forgot to tell her that Alphys said hi.

 

* * *

 

_I know you can feel it._

Frisk stopped in their tracks, grip tightening on their backpack straps. They frowned.

 _Don't act like you don't know_ , Chara said, their voice hushed into a whisper even though Frisk was the only one who could hear them. _Papyrus. Undyne. You remember bits and pieces, right?_

Frisk bit the inside of their cheek, shifting their weight back and forth. Flowey popped out of the bag with an annoyed frown. "What's the holdup?" he asked disdainfully.

They blinked in surprise, and then shook their head before starting to walk towards the lab again.

_You can't ignore me. I know. I can feel the same things you do. In fact, that feeling is me._

Frisk's steps faltered just for a split second. They could practically hear the malicious grin.

_It's ALWAYS been me._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tried to make this chapter longer but then i got lazy at the end i hope u cant tell
> 
> hmu at my [tumblr](http://heiwagayma.tumblr.com/)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tra la la
> 
> beware of the man who speaks in hands

_You know, I've never noticed before, but you have a slight accent_ , Frisk said with an outward smile, trying to deviate the subject from whatever grim pattern Chara had just put them on.

 _And you have freckles_ , Chara countered, and Frisk blinked in surprise. _They're hard to see, since your skin is so dark, but they're across your nose and cheeks._

 _You can see my face?_ Now Frisk was thoroughly confused. They thought Chara was just a presence inside them, lingering from... whatever it was they were lingering from.

Chara scoffed, like the question was stupid. They didn't answer, though, and Frisk sighed internally.

"Even _I_ can feel the heat, and I'm a flower," Flowey complained, but Frisk couldn't help but agree with him. Flowey had groaned about the backpack being too hot to function, and decided to hang out outside of it, his stem wrapped around Frisk's shoulders for leverage so he could see everything that was going on.

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ I HATE USING THE PHONE I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS LMAO ^. ^

Frisk stared at their phone oddly for a moment, taking in the message. Alphys could always text them if it was easier on her. Frisk couldn't exactly talk into the phone either, so it was a lose-lose situation for the both of them.

Flowey scowled down at their phone screen, and clicked his tongue. Frisk glanced at him with curious eyes, and signed, **Do you know Alphys?**

"I assume you're talking about Dr. Alphys," he guessed, obviously not understanding a few of the signs, and when Frisk nodded, he sighed in exasperation. "I know everyone."

Frisk pursed their lips. **Then why do you hide all the time? Don't you want to say hi?**

Flowey almost laughed out loud. "Sure, sure, next time I'll say hi," he snickered, and Frisk had a feeling he was being sarcastic.

 **We should get to know each other more** , they signed with a smile.

Flowey gave them a weird stare. "...Why?" he asked, looking almost uncomfortable.

Frisk hesitated before signing, **We're friends, right?**

While Chara was laughing in their head, Flowey glanced to the side almost nervously, looking like he was having an internal struggle. Frisk backtracked, fumbling with their hands and shaking them in front of their face, deciding that Flowey was most likely uncomfortable talking about himself. They wouldn't force it on him, obviously. That would be rude.

Flowey seemed to look more content after seeing Frisk's movements, and let out a slow breath. Chara's laughing had died down, and Frisk's head pounded from the intensity of their laughter. Frisk smiled at Flowey, patting his petals, and went on ahead.

 

* * *

 

 _Tsunderplane gets in the way!_ Chara exclaimed in amusement, and then added, _Not on purpose or anything._

Frisk raised an eyebrow at the plane, who looked nervous and was sporting a large blush on its... cheeks? It hovered nervously towards Frisk, and they grinned widely.

_Please tell me you're not going to—_

Frisk batted their eyelashes at Tsunderplane, and pretending to fire tiny bullets of love at it with their fingers shaped into fake guns. They winked, licking their lips, and laughed silently when Chara groaned in their head.

"H-huh!? You sicko!" Tsunderplane cried, its blush growing even brighter, if that was possible. It shook its nose dismissively at Frisk, and the latter just grinned.

 _I should have known_ , Chara muttered as Frisk hopped along to dodge the fireballs coming their way. Chara seemed to hum, and gave off the impression of an impressed nod. _You're getting better at dodging._

Frisk blinked a few times once the fireballs stopped, and then shrugged. _I guess it was the spears that helped me._

_Mm._

Flowey was trying to ignore the entire ordeal, rolling his eyes and scoffing at some of Frisk's attempts to get close to Tsunderplane. They took a step forward towards it, but not too close.

"Eeeeh? H-human...?" it mumbled, looking shy. It accidentally bumped into Frisk with its wing, but Frisk had a feeling that the movement wasn't exactly accidental. Frisk leaned in, and kissed it on its blushing cheek, feeling the heat radiating off it on their lips. Tsunderplane jumped, and blushed brightly before scurrying away, screaming something Frisk couldn't decipher.

Frisk watched it leave with a confused look, but then giggled and smiled. Flowey was giving them a deadpanned look, and Frisk pursed their lips, narrowing their eyes determinedly. Flowey didn't realize what they were trying to do before it was too late, and when Frisk's lips brushed against his forehead, he jumped back, his face going uncharacteristically red.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" he shrieked, his face turning into that demonic-looking one again, but Frisk wasn't fazed. They covered their mouth with their hand to hide their smile, but it was so big that their tiny hands couldn't cover it all. Their shoulders began to shake in laughter, and Flowey huffed angrily before turning away from them.

 

* * *

 

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ omg ive had my claw over the last digit for 5 minutes. omg im just gonna do it. im just gonna call!!!

Then the phone began to ring... for about two seconds. Whoever was calling had hung up before Frisk could answer. They frowned slightly, deciding to text Alphys as soon as they walked into the next room.

The next room had a path littered with blue and orange lasers, and Frisk widened their eyes at the sight, before their phone began to vibrate in their hands. They looked down, seeing the caller ID, and answered it, struggling slightly to keep the large phone in their tiny hands.

"Uhh!" the voice came. "H-hi, so, the blue lasers..." Alphys cut herself off, and then laughed nervously. "Uhh! I mean, Alphys here! Hi!" She cleared her throat, trying to keep her voice steady. "The blue lasers won't hurt you if you don't move! O-orange ones, um... Y-you have to be moving, and they... um, they won't... uh..."

Frisk gave her a moment to recompose herself.

"Move through those ones!" Alphys managed, taking a deep breath. She coughed nervously. "Uhh, bye!" There was a click, and Frisk frowned at the phone to see that she had hung up.

They looked around, looking for any cameras to see if she was watching them still, but they couldn't find any. Either Alphys was very good at hiding cameras, or there weren't even any there at all.

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ OMG I DID IT!!!! claws haven't shook like that since undyne called me to ask about the weather... v. v

Chara made a confused noise. _There's no weather down here?_

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ WAIT THERE'S NO WEATHER DOWN HERE WHY DID SHE CALL ME

 _Ohh_ , Chara hummed in realization. _Almost forgot._

Frisk raised an eyebrow at their following statement, but shrugged. They pocketed their phone, and looked over at the pathway of lasers. The first one was orange, so they walked through it with no problem. Then the second one was blue, and when it approached them, they froze, staying as still as possible. Their muscles twitched with the urge to move, and they wobbled when the blue laser passed through them a second time, but they managed to get as far as to the last three lasers—one blue and two orange. Taking a deep breath, Frisk charged through, and winced as the blue laser hit them from behind. An electrical zap painfully shocked them, making their nerves twinge, and Frisk decided to just run through the last two before they got hurt more.

Their skin was covered in goosebumps and their neck hairs were standing on edge. Flowey studied them curiously, and then asked, "Are you alright?"

Frisk nodded, and then looked over at the switch beside them. Curiously, they brushed their fingers over it, and flipped it. There was a whirring sound, and the lasers were deactivated. Frisk turned to the now empty pathway, and gave an approving hum before moving on.

They couldn't even take five steps before their phone beeped.

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ Oh My God i Forgot to Tell THem Where To Go

Frisk pursed their lips. They were pretty confident that they could find it out themself.

 _ALPHYS posted a picture:_ CUte PIC OF ME RIGHT NOW ^. ^

It was a photo of a garbage can with several pink, glittery filters over it. Frisk bit their lip, and their shoulders shook with laughter. They put their phone back into their pocket, and walked forward. They idly noticed that the farther they walked, the darker and darker the lava surrounding them got.

Their phone began to ring as soon as they approached what looked like a puzzle littered with arrows and steam. "A-A-Alphys here!!" came the voice as soon as they picked it up. "Th... the northern door will stay locked until you solve the puzzles on the right and left! I... I think you sh-should g-g-go to the right first!"

As soon as she hung up, Chara made a sly noise that sounded like they were snickering. _I dare you to go to the left._

 _No!_ Frisk replied, raising their eyebrows in slight amusement. They followed Alphys' instructions and waited until the flashing arrow pointed to the right, and then stepped on it. They were suddenly lifted up into the air, and they gasped sharply as warm steam lifted them up until they landed perfectly on the right path. Frisk blinked, looking back at the arrow for a few moments, before turning away and moving on.

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ wonder if it would be unfun if i explained the puzzle...

Frisk bit the inside of their cheek, and then looked over to see two monsters sitting on the edge, their feet dangling over the glowing lava below. Frisk walked up to the green one in the suit, and waved to it. It waved back, and then let out a sigh before jabbing its thumb over its shoulder and pointing to the door behind them.

"The way to work is blocked," it said, "so I had time to catch Mettaton's show on my phone. The special effects were amazing today!" Its eyes went wide in amazement. "The human almost looked real!"

Frisk looked down at themself in confusion, and heard Flowey made an amused snort beside them. Did they not look real enough to be human? They looked over at the other monster, who had apparently been listening to the conversation.

"Mettaton?" it said, and then sighed. "Yeah, he's the most popular star in the underground! His fan club probably has at least two... no, THREE dozen members!"

Three dozen? How many was that? Frisk looked down at their hands, counting on their fingers in an attempt to add it up, but they were never really good at math at all.

 _36_ , Chara supplied as soon as Frisk was moving onto double-digits. _There's twelve in a dozen, so three times twelve equals 36._

 _Oh,_ Frisk said, and then nodded. _Thanks! That's a lot._

Chara gave off the impression of a shrug. _Well, I guess, but considering how many monsters there are in the Underground, not really._

 _Ohh, that makes sense_ , Frisk decided, and eagerly walked through the door to discover what puzzle awaited them.

The puzzle was a weird yellow gun, with white and black boxes in the center, with something that looked like a generic ship on the other side. Flowey leaned over a bit, and then sighed, "You have to shoot the other ship. Move the boxes out of your way, but you only have two bullets. It's pretty easy."

Frisk nodded at him, and took a step forward. They put their hands on the gun, testing out the shooting for themself, and destroyed one of the boxes with the bullet. They shot the other one to reset the puzzle, and then unknowingly stuck their tongue out the corner of their mouth as they pressed the buttons on the side to move the boxes. They didn't manage to get far, and shot one of the boxes in the way to make a clear path to the ship. Once they shot the second bullet, the ship split apart in two, and a giant message that read _Congratulations!_ appeared ahead of them in large, blue letters.

 

* * *

 

Frisk giggled silently as they made it back to the weird arrows that made them fly, and braced themself before excitedly stepping on it. They were lifted up into the air, and Frisk outstretched their arms as they made it to the left path. Flowey was giving them a weird look, like he was annoyed, but Frisk ignored him and continued on happily.

 

* * *

 

What faced them on the left side was an area identical to the right, except there was a blue laser blocking their way. It was wide, and the portion of the laser was larger than Frisk, and it wasn't moving. Frisk wasn't sure how they were going to get past it, but then their phone began to ring.

"Alphys! Here!" she said, and Frisk didn't know why they were expecting it to be anyone else. "Th-that blue laser seems totally impassable!" Oh. So she _was_ watching them. "B-b-but! As the Royal Scientist, I h-have some tricks up my sleeve! I'll h-hack into th-the Hotland laser database and take it out!" She hung up suddenly, and Frisk waited for the laser to shut down.

It turned off with a click, and Frisk quickly skipped past it in case it would turn on again.

There were more monsters by the door—a pretty, green fire one and an oddly-shaped purple one leaning against a skateboard. The two were both dressed in schoolgirl uniforms, and Frisk walked up to the fire monster, who looked relieved.

"Finally! Someone turned off that laser!" she gasped. "Now that we're free we can... Well, uh, I guess we'll just keep standing here."

Frisk eyed her up and down, taking in her flaming appearance. Even though she was green, Frisk wondered if she was related to Grillby in some way. They were both fire monsters, but maybe they didn't know each other at all. Frisk wondered if they were being rude for assuming they knew each other just because they were both fire monsters.

"We were hanging out when suddenly a buncha puzzles started reactivating out of nowhere," the purple monster from behind them added. "This is a huge problem. It rules! They've GOTTA cancel school over this!"

Frisk grinned at her enthusiastic mentality, and then moved through the door. The puzzle was the same from the right one, but it looked much more complicated. There were more boxes this time. Frisk put their hands on the gun, took note of their two shots, and pressed the buttons to move the boxes around.

After five minutes, they were getting frustrated. They kept ending up with two or three boxes in the way, and Frisk clicked their tongue as they reset the puzzle and tried again. Their shoulders slumped after about three more failed attempts, and Flowey scoffed before shoving their hands out of the way.

" _I'll_ do it," he said, and two leafy hands protruded from his stem and took hold of the gun. It didn't take him very long to solve it, and once the blue _Congratulations!_ message appeared, Frisk gazed at him in awe and clapped their hands as an applause. He scowled, looking embarrassed, and scoffed. "It's really easy. You're just stupid." His words didn't come out as rude as he intended them to be.

Frisk walked back to the weird arrows, and relished in the feeling of being lifted up before all but skipping to the large door that had been previously sealed. It rumbled, opening up slowly, making the ground tremble and shake as it slid open. Frisk walked through it, letting their hands brush against the cold metal of the door. As soon as they passed through, their phone beeped with the notification of a new status update.

And who else could it be?

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ whatever!!! i'll just explain it!!!!

Frisk tried to reply to her status to tell her that they had already solved it, but a message popped up that said they couldn't make any statuses or reply to any until they finished setting up their profile. Huffing, Frisk shook their head, and begrudgingly answered the phone when it began to ring in their hands.

"Uuuh, I think... Um, hey! About the puzzles on the left and right!" Alphys said, and then there was a shifting sound. "They're a bit difficult to explain, but..." There was more shifting and shuffling, followed by a faint gasp, and Alphys seemed distracted by something. "...oh, uh... you already s-solved them?" she mumbled, seemingly realizing. "Awesome!" she yelled nervously, and then hung up.

Frisk took the phone from their ear and let out a small sigh. Their stomach was beginning to ache again, and Frisk took a deep breath as they settled their hand on it through the fabric of their shirt. Flowey noticed the movement, and glanced between their stomach and their face. "Is your tummy hurting again?" he asked.

Frisk almost commented on how it was cute that he said the word tummy, but nodded instead. **It just hurts** , they signed. **Don't know why.**

"What kind of pain?" Flowey questioned, looking apprehensive.

Frisk thought about it for a moment, and then shrugged, rolling their shoulders and taking a moment to sit down and rest before they moved on. They sat down cross-legged on the heated, red ground, and patted their stomach a few times. **Sharp, and sudden** , they signed unsurely, and twisted their face into a pinched look. **Like something is going inside.**

Flowey stared blankly, and Frisk pursed their lips once they realized that he probably didn't understand some of their signs. They tapped their chin with their hand, and then laced their fingers together in front of them. Making sure Flowey was watching, they brought their hands down quickly to rest against their stomach to make the motion of stabbing themself in the stomach. They gave Flowey a look, and his mouth formed into an _oh_ shape.

"Like something is stabbing you?" he guessed, and when Frisk nodded, asked, "It doesn't hurt... too bad, right? To the point where you can't move?"

Chara made a soft noise in their head, something between a gasp and a sigh.

Frisk shook their head, patted their stomach, and made the so-so motion with their hand. Flowey nodded once, and Frisk bit the inside of their cheek. **Can we rest for a few minutes?** they signed, rubbing at the small of their back and rolling their shoulders. They didn't know if Flowey understood, but he seemed to get the message because he mumbled a quiet _okay_ and settled himself against Frisk's shoulder. He looked tired too.

 _Maybe your stomach hurts from the laser_ , Chara suggested, but the tone of their voice suggested that they were joking.

Frisk scoffed. _It was hurting before Hotland._

 _I know_ , Chara said, and then let out a long, drawn-out sigh. _Ugh, what does someone have to do to get some chocolate around here?_

 _I'll find you some_ , Frisk promised, drawing a surprised feeling from Chara. _On one condition._

 _I knew it,_ Chara scoffed. _What is it?_

Frisk smiled mischievously. _Tell me more about yourself!_

Chara was quiet for a few moments, mulling over the options and weighing their chances. Then they sighed again, and gave off the impression of a nod. _Fine, but not too much._

Frisk nodded internally. _How about... I ask you something and you answer it if it isn't too personal or too uncomfortable?_

_Sounds fine to me._

_Alright! Then... hmm..._ Frisk tapped their fingers against their thigh in thought. _How about a basic question? Are you a girl, boy, neither, both, or do you change?_

 _Ah, the age-old question_ , Chara laughed. _Except this time more options._ Frisk waited patiently as they gave a hum. _I'm neither_ , Chara finally replied. _Simple as that._

Frisk beamed. _Me too! I mean, neither. But, I don't really know how to explain it._

 _There's a word for it_ , Chara informed, and Frisk blinked. _Agender, or, I guess the umbrella term would be nonbinary. Means you don't conform to the gender binary at all, hence the term "nonbinary"._

 _Oh! I didn't know there was a word for it!_ Frisk exclaimed, eyes sparkling excitedly. _I just always thought of it as being nothing. I was always confused when people asked if I was a girl or boy, 'cause I didn't know what to say back._

_Then what did you do?_

_Mostly ignored them._

Chara laughed at their reply. _Same. Easier to not say anything rather than lie just to keep yourself safe._

Frisk nodded. _Alright, next question. Hmm... I don't think I've ever seen you before. What do you look like?_

 _You've seen me before_ , Chara replied in a matter-of-factly tone, giving off the impression of a scoff. _In Waterfall, when you were walking with Monster Kid. Remember the reflection in the puddle?_

Frisk gasped. Outwardly, accidentally, and when Flowey jumped and gave them a startled look, Frisk gave him a smile and just pretended to use their stomach as an excuse (it wasn't exactly a lie).

 _That was YOU?_ Frisk asked in surprise, and when Chara gave off the impression of a nod, Frisk smiled. _You're very cute._

 _You couldn't even see my face_ , Chara deadpanned.

 _Well, your fashion sense is on point_ , Frisk countered.

 _Pfft_ , they snickered. _I know. Stripes are totally in season._

 _Why didn't you tell me that was you before? When I asked you?_ Frisk asked, deciding to use it as the next question in their chocolate-information agreement.

Chara made a small hum. _You didn't even know who I was back then._

_I still don't know who you are._

_You know my name._

_But not your story_ , Frisk said, and then regretted it when they felt an odd emotion that felt like an annoyed anger pulsing deep inside them.

 _Well, it's not like I know YOUR story_ , Chara spat, and Frisk bit their lip.

 _Sorry_ , they apologized, setting their hands on their lap and stretching out their back. _Can I ask one more question? You don't have to answer it._

Chara sighed. _Shoot._

_How did you die?_

Chara went silent. After about five minutes, they said slowly, _I don't remember._

Frisk had the feeling it was a lie, but they didn't push it any further. They nodded inwardly, and slowly rose to their feet, brushing off their knees and taking note of the new bruises that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. _Alright_ , they said, and smiled. _I'll get you your chocolate._

_Mhm. You better._

 

* * *

 

After another round of those weird arrow things, Frisk landed on a platform that was bright and polka-dotted. But when they walked further, they realized all the lights were off. Their phone began to ring, and the brightness of their screen nearly blinded them as they clicked the answer button.

"H-hey, it's kind of dark in there, isn't it?" Alphys said, her voice a bit garbled through the receiver, and Frisk shushed Flowey when he muttered something along the lines of _Yeah no shit._ "Don't worry!!!" Alphys assured. "I'll hack into the light system and brighten it up!"

All of a sudden, the lights flipped on, and Frisk was standing on the set of a quaint kitchen.

"Oh no."

"OOOOOHHHH YESS!!!!" came Mettaton's voice as he suddenly rose from behind a counter beside Frisk, a chef's hat on his head (did the top of his box count as a head?). "WELCOME, BEAUTIES, TO THE UNDERGROUND'S PREMIER COOKING SHOW!!!!"

The words _Cooking with a Killer Robot_ appeared in fancy, pink letters above them, and Frisk bit their lip to keep from snickering.

"PRE-HEAT YOUR OVENS, BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A VERY SPECIAL RECIPE FOR YOU TODAY! WE'RE GOING TO BE MAKING..." He paused. "...A CAKE!!!! MY LOVELY ASSISTANT HERE WILL GATHER THE INGREDIENTS!!! EVERYONE GIVE THEM A BIG HAND!!!!"

Frisk didn't realize that he was referring to them until there was a clapping sound effect and confetti was raining down on them. They flinched as one of the confetti brushed against their nose, and turned to look at Mettaton.

"WE'LL NEED SUGAR, MILK, AND EGGS. GO FOR IT, SWEETHEART!!!" Mettaton declared, looking at them expectantly.

Frisk turned around to see each of the items Mettaton had instructed them to find laid out one-by-one on the counter. They walked over to it, noticing that the counter was lowered to their height, and reached over to pick up the eggs. Careful not to drop them, Frisk set them down on the other side before going back for the milk and sugar.

They put them on top of the counter beside each other, and Mettaton looked delighted. "PERFECT!!! GREAT JOB, BEAUTIFUL!!!" he exclaimed, and Frisk felt themself beaming at the praise. They weren't used to so openly being called sweetheart or beautiful, or even anyone telling them they had done a great job. Even though they knew Mettaton was trying to kill them, Frisk couldn't help but feeling the need to thank him.

They reminded themself to do it sometime later.

"WE'VE GOT ALL THE INGREDIENTS WE NEED TO BAKE THE CAKE!!" Mettaton exclaimed, and Frisk wondered where the whole killing-them factor came in. "MILK... SUGAR... EGGS..." He gave a robotic gasp into his microphone. "OH MY!! WAIT A MAGNIFICENT MOMENT!!! HOW COULD I FORGET!!! WE'RE MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT!" Suddenly, he dropped his microphone and slowly lifted up a chainsaw. "...A HUMAN SOUL!"

 _There it is_ , Frisk thought, and Chara laughed.

 _Are you used to everyone trying to kill you already?_ Chara asked in amusement, and only laughed harder when Frisk gave a combination of a nod and a shrug.

Mettaton began approaching them slowly with the chainsaw, it whirring loudly in his hands. Frisk took a few steps back, and although Mettaton wasn't moving very quickly, he almost looked menacing as he rolled forward.

Then a phone began to ring, and he stopped. Frisk looked at their phone—it wasn't theirs that was ringing.

Mettaton reached up and pressed a button on his side. ''HELLO? I'M KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING HERE."

"W-wait a second!" Alphys exclaimed, and apparently she had Mettaton's number. "Couldn't you make a... Couldn't you use a..." She fumbled with her words. "Couldn't you make a substitution in the recipe?"

"...A SUBSTITUTION?" Mettaton repeated. "YOU MEAN, USE A DIFFERENT, NON-HUMAN INGREDIENT? WHY?"

"Uhh," Alphys stammered, "what if someone's... uh... vegan?"

"...VEGAN."

"Uh, well I mean—"

"THAT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA, ALPHYS!!!!" Mettaton looked overjoyed, and Flowey looked like he was trying to keep himself from laughing. "ACTUALLY, I HAPPEN TO HAVE AN OPTION RIGHT HERE! MTT-BRAND ALWAYS-CONVENIENT HUMAN-SOUL-FLAVOR-SUBSTITUTE!!!"

"Can't he shorten it?" Flowey sighed.

"A CAN OF WHICH... IS JUST OVER ON THAT COUNTER!!" Mettaton pointed over to a counter all the way on the other side of the set, where a single red can rested on top. "WELL, DARLING? WHY DON'T YOU GO GET IT?"

 _This is a trick_ , Chara said, stating the obvious, and Frisk pursed their lips.

They walked over to the counter despite it, and was about to grab the can when suddenly the counter shrank, rumbling, and then shot up into the sky followed by what looked like thousands of more counters underneath it. It rose and rose until Frisk couldn't even see the top anymore, and their neck hurt from looking up so much.

Mettaton suddenly rolled beside them. "BY THE WAY, OUR SHOW RUNS ON A STRICT SCHEDULE. IF YOU CAN'T GET TO THE CAN IN THE NEXT ONE MINUTE... WE'LL JUST HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN!!!!! SO, BETTER START CLIMBING, BEAUTIFUL!!!!"

Frisk gave him a look in disbelief. How in the world were they supposed to climb all the way to the top in one minute? No flattering words or names could shake them from the anxiety that suddenly washed over them.

Mettaton suddenly flew up into the air, and Frisk's phone rang.

"Oh no! There's not enough time to climb up!" Alphys exclaimed worriedly. "F-f-fortunately, I might have a plan! When I was upgrading your phone, I added a few... features. You see that huge button that says... 'JETPACK'?"

Oh.

"Watch this!" Alphys said as soon as Frisk pressed it.

Suddenly, the phone shot out of their hands and levitated in the air. It separated, splitting into two parts, followed by two engines coming out of the back. It fell back down onto Frisk's shoulders perfectly, fitting itself with a strap, and then the engines began to whir.

"There!" Alphys exclaimed. "You should have just enough fuel to reach the top! Now, get up there!"

Frisk's feet lifted off the ground without warning, and Flowey yelped as they suddenly shot off into the air quickly. He wrapped his stem around them tighter to keep hold, and Frisk wobbled a bit before managing to steady themself.

Mettaton was above them, his wheel having changed to what looked like the back of a rocket, and he opened the pack of eggs before letting them rain down over them. Frisk threw their arms in front of their face to shield them, and let one eye open from behind their sleeves to try and dodge them. One of the eggs splattered against their jetpack, but other than that, they had survived (or, rather, their clothes did).

The milk came next, and Frisk wasn't really able to dodge that. It got into their hair more than anything, and Frisk grimaced as they felt the liquid trail down their cheeks.

Then the sugar, and Frisk found it much easier to dodge that more than anything. They maneuvered to the side, scaling all the way around the counters and letting the sugar collect on the sides.

Time was running around, and Frisk knew it wasn't much longer until the one minute ran out. Then they saw the top, and felt their jetpack begin to slow down as their hands brushed against the top of the counter.

"MY, MY," Mettaton said. "IT SEEMS YOU'VE BESTED ME. BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAD THE HELP OF THE BRILLIANT DR. ALPHYS!!!!" Frisk felt as if he were trying to subtly suggest something, but they didn't know what. "OH, I LOATHE TO THINK OF WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU WITHOUT HER!!!!"

Frisk pursed their lips as Mettaton waved, "WELL, TOODLES!!" He zoomed off to the side, but then returned not a second later. "OH YES! ABOUT THE SUBSTITUTION... HAVEN'T YOU EVER SEEN A COOKING SHOW BEFORE?" he asked like it was obvious, even though Frisk really had never seen a cooking show before. "I ALREADY BAKED THE CAKE AHEAD OF TIME!!!! SO FORGET IT!!!"

He zoomed off again, disappearing, and Frisk let themself lower down onto the ground. The jetpack fractured down back into a phone, and landed securely in Frisk's hands. Then it began to ring again.

"Wow! We... we did it!" Alphys exclaimed. "We... we really did it!!!" It was almost like she didn't believe it herself. "Great job out there, team! W-well, uh, anyway, let's keep heading forward!"

Frisk nodded at the phone, even though they weren't sure she could even see them, and then hung up. They put it in their pocket, and walked out off the set and back onto the rocky, warm ground.

 

* * *

 

As they walked more, they could see an ominous structure looming in the distance. It was large, and surrounded by bright, molten lava.

Their phone rang again, and Frisk rolled their eyes. "S-see that building in the distance?" Alphys asked, and Frisk turned their body to stare at it. "That's the Core. The source of all power for the underground. It converts geothermal energy into magical electricity, by..." She trailed off, and Frisk blinked in confusion. "Uhh, anyway, that's where we're going to go."

 _Just don't fall in_ , Chara murmured, their words laced with a nefarious delight.

"In the Core is an elevator directly to Asgore's castle," Alphys continued. "And from there... you can go home."

Home. The idea of home didn't sound too keen to them. They weren't even sure they had a home up above anymore.

Frisk didn't even notice Alphys had hung up until the tone came to their ear, and they slowly lowered the phone. Staring at the screen silently, Frisk frowned, and then looked back up to the Core looming in the distance.

There was a sudden whisper, but it didn't come from Chara or Flowey. Then there was a presence behind them, but it was so faint Frisk wasn't sure if it was real. When Frisk turned around, they could've sworn that they saw a hand making a sign towards them.

Their eyes must be playing tricks.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my favorite scene to write of this chapter is tied with the question game with frisk and chara and the mtt scene i just. i love mettaton. and chara and frisk bonding is just so. its so great. i love it.
> 
> comments are always appreciated!!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10k hits?? h ow the he ll
> 
> (i upped the rating bc of swearing and a bit more serious themes)

**_I'm sorry, Mama. I'm sorry, Mama_ ** _, they signed over and over again with shaking hands, but she just wouldn't have it._

_"I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!" she screamed at them, lifting her hand, and they flinched as they instinctively cowered down submissively. "USE YOUR WORDS!"_

**_I can't Mama you know I_ ** _**can't** , they tried, but she couldn't understand, and even if she could, she wouldn't care. She never cared in the first place._

_"ANSWER ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!" she yelled, her voice bouncing off the halls. She was getting close, too close, and they were so scared so terrified._

_They lifted their hands, twitching and on the verge of tears, and then picked up the notebook they always drew on and wrote something down. She watched with a livid expression as they held up the message with a pale face, eyes sunken and glossy._

_She just smacked it out of their hands, leaving their hands stinging with a red mark. "I DON'T_ CARE _WHAT THE DOCTOR SAID QUIT DOING THAT SHIT WITH YOUR HANDS."_

_Unsure what to do, they eventually broke down and fell to their knees on the ground, covering their face with their hands as tears and snot dribbled and stained their cheeks. They sobbed silently, breath hitching and throat burning as she just watched them. She just watched them cry, and they could've sworn she almost looked pleased._

 

* * *

 

Frisk opened their eyes to see that they had fallen asleep in the elevator. They blinked rapidly, drilling the sleep from their eyes, and wiped the stray tears that made their cheeks wet. They didn't even have to ask if Chara had seen the accidental memory—they could feel their curiosity flowing through their body.

Thankfully, they didn't say anything about it, and Frisk smiled.

"We need to get moving," Flowey suddenly said, face pinched into a scrutinizing gaze, his narrowed eyes eyeing them up and down. Once Frisk stood up and walked out of the elevator, he noticed the wetness on their cheeks, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Frisk hesitantly nodded, and Flowey didn't say anything more.

There was a very small fire monster standing near the elevator door, looking smug. Frisk walked up to him, and knelt down to get a better look. He opened his eyes to look at Frisk, almost annoyed, but then he just gave a proud laugh.

"Heh. I'm Heats Flamesman. Remember my name!" he declared, and Frisk gave him a confused blink before nodding with a smile. He almost looked shocked at their comply, but masked it with another smug grin.

Frisk looked back at the elevator, reading the top that said "R2". _Right Floor 2_ , Chara said.

 _Are there left floors?_ Frisk asked, despite the fact that the question most likely sounded pretty dumb.

Chara gave off the impression of a nod, and Frisk moved on.

To the right there were two monsters hanging around a stand with snow on it—and there was Sans standing at it. Frisk beamed and rushed over towards him, nearly tripping in the process, and Sans looked at them with his trademark grin.

"hey buddy, what's up?" he asked. "wanna buy a hot dog? it's only 30G."

Frisk looked into their pockets, feeling around for the amount of gold they had, and nodded, assuming they had enough just from their sense of touch. They took out a handful, setting it down on the surface of the stand, and counted each one individually until they had 30. As they did so, Sans didn't seem inconvenienced in the slightest, nor did he look annoyed from how long and how excessive they were taking. Frisk smiled inwardly at him, and then pushed the 30G towards him.

"thanks, kid," Sans said, and then placed the hot dog in their hands, "here's your 'dog." When he saw Frisk's look, his grin grew even wider. "yeah. 'dog. apostrophe-dog. it's short for hot dog."

Frisk looked down at their hot dog, and then raised an eyebrow. Whatever they were holding was definitely not a traditional hot dog. The meat part was made of one of those plants Frisk saw back at Toriel's house (they didn't know what they were called).

 _Water sausage_ , Chara informed.

 _Oh_ , Frisk mumbled, and then wrapped the hot dog in a spare napkin they got from Sans and put it in their bag (maybe Flowey would want it).

 

* * *

 

 _ALPHYS posted a picture:_ dinner with the girlfriend ;)

Frisk bit on their lip to suppress a smile, but to no avail. The picture she posted depicted a figurine of a catgirl next to a bowl of instant noodles.

 _She doesn't get out much_ , Chara commented with a laugh.

 _That's mean!_ Frisk protested. _Don't say that!_

 _CoolSkeleton95 posted_ _a_ _picture:_ ARE WE POSTING HOT "PICS"? HERE IS ME AND MY COOL FRIEND

It was just a photo of Papyrus, wearing sunglasses, flexing in front of a mirror. Giant muscular biceps, which were also wearing sunglasses, were pasted onto his arms, badly placed.

Chara was snickering in their head, and Frisk laughed silently.

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ LOL, CoolSkeleton95! ...that's a joke, right?

 _CoolSkeleton95 updated status:_ THE ONLY JOKE HERE, IS HOW STRONG MY MUSCLES ARE.

Flowey clicked his tongue, glaring down at the phone. "I almost forgot how stupid they all are," he grumbled.

Frisk gave him a pointed look. **They're not stupid.**

"I don't know what you just said," he deadpanned, and Frisk frowned. They tapped at their chin thoughtfully, and then took a detour to the left.

As they stepped into the side area (which, oddly, was devoid of nothing except a random cloth on the side), Frisk's phone beeped. They took it out, and beamed once they saw the notification on the screen.

_NAPSTABLOOK22 has sent you a friend request._

Frisk gasped silently, excited, and attempted to accept the request—but it seemed to reject itself...? They frowned, putting their phone back in their pocket, and reminded themself to go over to Napstablook's house later to hang out with them more.

Their eyes caught the fallen cloth to their right, and they trotted up towards it to get a better look. It was a stained apron, with a heart sewn on the front. They picked it up, eyeing it curiously, wondering why it was all the way over here. Then they noticed the crack in the platform near the edge.

Frisk warily looked over the edge, frowning at the bubbling lava down below. They wondered what monster owned the apron, and left it here.

"What are we doing here?" Flowey asked impatiently as Frisk carefully folded up the apron and put it in the backpack.

 **I'm going to teach you more signs,** they replied, and sat cross-legged on the ground where the stained apron once was. They set the backpack that Flowey rested in across from them, giggling silently at his confused look.

They leaned down, patting the ground underneath them, and feeling the heated, rough surface with a frown. It would be difficult to write letters into the ground—it was thick and hard and hard to even make a dent in. Flowey seemed to notice their troubles, and cleared his throat to catch their attention.

"Just mouth whatever you're trying to say," he said, sighing a little, still unsure.

Frisk blinked at the idea for a few moments, tapping at their chin, and then they signed **Best friends** while mouthing the words the best they could. Flowey watched their movements, and an unreadable expression slowly formed on his face.

"...'Best friends'?" he guessed, and when Frisk nodded, he shifted uncomfortably, and gave a little laugh. "Ah... that's my line."

Frisk frowned in confusion, and then signed, **Can we be best friends?**

Flowey read the movement of their lips, and then looked down at their hand motions, putting two and two together and saving the signs to memory. He then clicked his tongue. "You want us to be best friends?" he practically deadpanned.

 **Do you... not want to?** Frisk signed, hesitating.

The flower looked side to side for a moment, trying to hide the warmth on his cheeks (that he was blaming on the heat of Hotland). He scoffed, his petals fluttering, and then gave Frisk a dry look, "Sure. Why not. Best friends forever."

Despite his tone, Frisk grinned brightly, and eagerly wrapped their arms around the backpack, pulling it to their chest as their form of a hug. Flowey squeaked as he was suddenly pushed to their chest, his face pressed up against them, and he looked away with an annoyed expression (though the blush on his face gave it away).

 **Now you have to pinky-promise** , signed Frisk, holding out their left hand and pointing their small pinky towards Flowey.

Flowey glanced between their pinky and their face. "For what?"

 **That we'll always be best friends!** Frisk urged, eyes sparkling almost as much as their grin, and they eagerly held out their pinky again.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't exactly have a pinky."

Frisk rolled their eyes. **Use your leaves.**

Flowey sighed, leaves unfurling from his stem as if by magic, and he held out his right one towards Frisk. Grimacing slightly when Frisk wrapped their small pinky around it, the force crushing the leaf slightly, he let out a soft wince.

Frisk immediately recoiled, giving Flowey a startled look. **Sorry** , they signed, and let out a breath of relief when Flowey shook his head to tell them _whatever, it's fine_.

 

* * *

 

"H... hi! It's Dr. Alphys. This puzzle is kinda... um... t-timing-based."

Frisk looked up at the puzzle, the moving rows and buttons looking almost intimidating. They assumed they just had to get on the platform and grab at the button before it was too late, but the button was placed a bit high up, just barely out of their reach.

"Y-you see those switches over there?" Alphys continued, and Frisk automatically turned in that direction. "Y-you'll have to press all three of them within 3 seconds. "I'll t-try to help you with the rhythm!"

Frisk pursed their lips and placed their phone in their back pocket so they wouldn't drop it. Flowey lowered himself down a little to keep out of Frisk's way, and watched as they hesitantly stepped onto the moving platform. Both Flowey and Frisk jolted forward as the platform surprised them by moving at a fast rate, and Frisk blanched as they barely were able to reach up and press two of the switches. Just as they passed the third one, and their fingers brushed over it, the sudden yell from their phone ("Okay! Now press the third one!") startled them out of their wits, and they fell onto the ground as they slipped off the platform.

Groaning softly and holding the back of their head, Frisk slowly rose to an upright position as surprised silence came from the phone. Alphys stammered a bit, unsure of what to say, and then there was a buzzing sound and the blue forcefield that blocked Frisk from moving forward was gone. Frisk looked back at the switches, seeing that still only two were pressed.

"H-h-hey!" Alphys stammered nervously, and Frisk could practically _hear_ her sweating. "Looks like you!! Only needed to press! Two of them!!!"

And then she hung up.

Frisk pouted, shifting in place to relieve the pain on their back as they climbed to their feet.

"Are you okay?" Flowey asked, his pout almost matching Frisk's. "You fell pretty hard."

Frisk nodded at him, giving a smile for confirmation, but they couldn't deny the lingering throbbing in their back that remained as they continued.

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ that's the last time i try to help with a puzzle lmao

They frowned down at the screen in concern, and then jolted when their phone started to ring. "H-h-hey!" came Alphys' voice. "I'm going to the bathroom, so I'll be MIA for a bit! I'm... I'm sure you can handle this puzzle yourself!" She hung up almost as quick as she ran them up.

 _What does MIA mean?_ Frisk tried asking, since Chara was obviously much smarter than them.

But, Chara just gave off the impression of a confused shrug. _No idea._

Frisk bit the inside of their cheek and looked out at the puzzle. It was more of those fun arrow things that lifted them up in the air, and the steam that was surrounding it made Frisk's sweater cling to their body. But then the buttons they landed on made the arrows move, and they sighed as they realized that this puzzle may be harder than they once thought.

 

* * *

 

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ OMG? ppl think Mew Mew 2 is better than Mew Mew 1? LOLLLL that's a joke right...

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ omg... DONT THEY GET IT RUINS MEW MEW'S ENTIRE CHARACTER ARC

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ My Mew Mew 2 Review: Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2 Is Neither Kissy Nor Cutie. Its Trash. 0 stars

"... She really likes her stupid anime shi—stuff, huh?" Flowey scoffed, glaring down at the phone screen with an amused anger (was that even possible...?)

Frisk laughed silently, and pocketed their phone, almost skipping along the path as they continued. Hotland was very, well, hot. Frisk's sweater was beginning to swelter their skin, and they had pushed up their sleeves as much as they could. They were tempted to just take it off and walk around shirtless.

"Hey! You! Stop!"

Frisk blinked, and then turned around to see the two guards they saw earlier rushing towards them.

"We, like, received an anonymous tip about a human wearing a striped shirt," said one, his voice muffled by the heavy armor. "They told us they were wandering around Hotland right now..." Then he almost laughed. "I know, sounds scary, huh? Well, just stay chill. We'll bring you someplace safe, okay?"

Frisk stared at the two in confusion, and then looked down at their sweater. As the two guards began to walk back, Frisk hesitantly followed them, but then one guard nudged the other with his hand.

"...Huh? What is it, bro?" he asked in confusion, and then leaned in to hear what the other was saying. "The shirt they're wearing? ... like, what about it?"

Both the guards turned, giving Frisk a heavy stare, and they gulped nervously as they took a step back. Even through their armor, the stare was intense, even if Frisk couldn't see their eyes.

"Bro..." said the more talkative one. "Are you thinkin'... what I'm thinkin'?" There was a heavy silence, and then he cleared his throat. "Bummer. This is, like... mega embarrassing. We, like, actually totally have to kill you and stuff."

Frisk's eyes widened, and then their soul was being pushed out of their body. No matter what, they never were used to it, and they gasped as the tickling sensation spread across their body, and they were pushed forward.

The two Royal Guards stood ahead, swords unsheathed, and Frisk looked between them. Flowey was beside their head, looking down at them in what looked like concern (but could easily be mistaken for something else). Then they blinked in surprise, noticing the way the first Royal Guard was seemingly nervous around the other, fumbling with his hand movements, and sneaking glances at him every so often.

> _I see two lovers staring over the edge of the cauldron of hell. Do they both wish for death? That means their love will end in hell._
> 
> _I couldn't stop laughing._

They halted in place, mouth dropping open at the sudden flash of images in their mind. It was like everything was moving in slow motion—their vision was glitching and turning red and when they looked down there was a dusty frying pan in their hands (why a frying pan? why was it dusty? what was happening?). Frisk blinked, suddenly feeling choked up, and the frying pan was gone. Their stomach was twisting painfully in every way, and their legs were shaking but they didn't know what to do.

"Ch—Frisk!" Flowey shouted, bringing them out of their daze.

Frisk looked over at him with wide eyes, attempting to catch their breath, and then over at the guards, who were staring at them in a mix of confusion and concern. It seemed that they were unsure what to do, whether they should attack or wait.

Frisk gulped down whatever they had just experienced, and glanced between the first Royal Guard and the second repeatedly. Then they settled their stare on the first, and made a heart with their hands, before gesturing towards the second guard.

The Royal Guard seemed to only get more flustered. "Like... what? I don't get it," he denied, and Frisk frowned.

"... team attack," said the second one, ignoring what Frisk had just demonstrated, and Frisk braced themself for impact.

Giant white objects that looked like sparkles started charging towards them, and Frisk jerked to the side to avoid one, only to get themself in the way of another heading straight for their back. They didn't notice until they felt control slipping away from them for a moment and their body jerked down on its own. Then they were slipping into their own skin again, and stepped to the side to avoid another until they stopped.

 _Thanks_ , they said distractedly.

Chara gave a hum in reply.

Frisk noticed the sweat pouring from the quiet guard's armor, and bit the inside of their cheek as they stepped up to him. He didn't do anything except watch as they tried to wipe it off with their sleeve. When they pulled away, they saw dirt on their arm, and wondered if they had just done something wrong by trying to wipe him off.

"Like... prepare to die, right?" the first one said unsurely, looking almost... jealous? The second one mumbled something about being warmer.

Frisk avoided the swiftly-moving sparkles (they were pretty sure they weren't sparkles, but they didn't have any other names for it). Chara had to help them again with one that didn't catch Frisk's attention and nearly beheaded them, but during the time that Chara moved their body, it was like Frisk could feel them beside them inside their own body—like they were side by side. Like they were sharing control.

"... can't... take it," the second mumbled, trembling in his armor. "... armor... too... HOT!!"

Frisk was momentarily reminded of Undyne collapsing because of the heat at the bridge, and then they jumped in surprise when the second guard quite literally flexed the chest plate of his armor off, revealing rather well-defined abs and muscles covered in scales. Frisk blinked, watching as his fallen armor plate slid off the edge of the ground and tumbled below.

"D... Dude." The first guard began to look noticeably bothered by something, and Chara gave a hearty laugh in their head.

Frisk decided to try again, and gestured towards the second Royal Guard with more emphasis on the heart. The first guard stammered nervously, and if Frisk could see a blush behind the armor, it would most likely be there.

"I... I..." the first guard stuttered, clenching onto the handle of his sword tightly. "I can't... I can't take this anymore!" His breath caught in his throat when his friend looked over at him, and Frisk grinned cheekily. "I, like... I like, LIKE you, bro!" He almost sounded relieved that he finally said it. "The way you fight... The way you talk... I love doing team attacks with you. I love standing here with you, bouncing and waving our weapons in sync... 02... I, like, want to stay like this forever..."

Frisk beamed and Flowey made a comical _ick_ face, and 01 began to sweat nervously as 02 continued to stare at him.

"Uh... I mean, uh... Psyche! Gotcha, bro!! Haha!!!" he tried to deny lamely.

"... 01," the second guard finally said, and Frisk leaned in eagerly.

"Y-yeah, bro?"

"... do you... want to get some ice cream... after this?"

"Sure, dude! Haha!" 01 almost shouted, looking as excited as ever.

01 and 02 were looking at each other happily, and Frisk smiled brightly.

Once the two guards had left (Flowey half-expected them to skip away hand-in-hand), Flowey grimaced and looked down at Frisk with a frown. "That was dramatic," he scoffed.

 **It was nice** , Frisk signed, giving Flowey a matter-of-factly glare. **Now they can be happy together.**

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

 

* * *

 

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ oopswait how's the human doing

 _ALPHYS updated status:_ Top 10 Shows That Make You Forget How To Do Your Frickin Job

The phone began to ring as soon as Frisk walked into a pitch-black room, and Frisk could only expect one thing given the past circumstances of dark rooms in Hotland.

"O-okay, I'm back!" Alphys said into the phone once Frisk had picked it up. "Another dark room, huh? Don't worry! M-my hacking skills have got things covered!"

The lights came on, and Frisk blinked in surprise. All around them were random objects scattered across the room, and there was a giant, fake wall to their right, with only a single hole that seemed to follow their every move like a camera. A flying TV with two small rockets attached depicted Mettaton sitting at a desk like a news reporter, holding sheets of paper in his hands, and dressed in a red suit that wrapped around his rectangular body. There were words scrolling at the bottom of the TV, but Frisk didn't bother to read them.

"Are you serious?" Alphys asked, her breath leaving her mouth in a sigh.

"OHHHHH YESSS!!!" Mettaton exclaimed excitedly. "GOOD EVENING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES!!! THIS IS METTATON, REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS!!" He folded his hands above the random slips of paper. "AN INTERESTING SITUATION HAS ARISEN IN EASTERN HOTLAND! FORTUNATELY, OUR CORRESPONDENT IS OUT THERE, REPORTING LIVE!" Frisk blinked at the TV, watching as Mettaton put a hand to his ear (or his side, since he was a rectangular robot). "BRAVE CORRESPONDENT! PLEASE FIND SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY TO REPORT! OUR TEN WONDERFUL VIEWERS ARE WAITING FOR YOU!!"

Frisk looked around the room, raising their eyebrows at the dog sitting excitedly on one end, and then wandered over towards what looked like a movie script. Movie scripts were cool things to report, right? Frisk hadn't seen much news reports in their life, so they didn't really have anything to go off of.

"OH NO! THAT MOVIE SCRIPT!! HOW'D??? THAT GET THERE???" Mettaton exclaimed dramatically, throwing his arms over his face. "IT'S A SUPER JUICY SNEAK PREVIEW OF MY LATEST GUARANTEED-NOT-TO-BOMB FILM: METTATON THE MOVIE XXVIII... STARRING METTATON!!"

Frisk rolled their eyes.

"I'VE HEARD THAT LIKE THE OTHER FILMS... IT CONSISTS MOSTLY OF A SINGLE FOUR-HOUR SHOT OF ROSE PETALS SHOWERING ON MY RECLINING BODY." Frisk resisted the urge to laugh at the mental image ( _Sounds like the dream_ , Chara supplied with a giggle). "OOH! BUT THAT'S!!! NOT CONFIRMED!!! YOU WOULDN'T, ER, SPOIL MY MOVIE FOR EVERYONE WITH A PROMOTIONAL STORY, WOULD YOU???"

Frisk couldn't tell if Mettaton actually wanted them to report it or not, so they just shook their head with a bit of confusion.

"PHEW!! THAT WAS CLOSE!!" Mettaton sighed. "YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A BUNCH OF FREE ADVERTISEMENT!!"

Frisk let out a slow sigh, and then looked back around the room. They couldn't tell how many or who was watching them, but they idly wondered if anyone they knew was seeing them on TV. Maybe Sans, or Papyrus, or Undyne (they ruled Toriel out, since they couldn't recall seeing a television in her house).

Their eyes caught a black case sitting in the corner, and they wandered up to it curiously. It looked like a video game, and Frisk smiled a bit. The only games they had played were at the arcade during that one time someone from school was forced to invite everyone in their class for her birthday party, and they all took a trip to the mall. The birthday girl's mother had noticed Frisk sitting alone while the others played at the arcade, and offered to give them a few quarters so they could go try it out too. It was a memorable moment, and Frisk had thanked the woman as best they could.

"OOH LA LA! THIS VIDEO GAME YOU FOUND... IS DYNAMITE!!" Mettaton's exclamation brought them out of their daze, and they looked up at the floating TV. "THOUGH I DON'T MAKE AN APPEARANCE IN IT UNTIL THREE-FOURTHS IN. BUT I LIKE THAT! APPEARING FROM THE HEAVENS LIKE MANNA, SLAKING THE AUDIENCE'S HUNGER FOR GORGEOUS ROBOTS..." Frisk stared at the TV oddly; they weren't really sure what the word _manna_ meant. "OOH!!! THAT'S METTATON!!"

Frisk licked at the back of their front teeth in thought before picking up the video game. It was oddly heavy, and they held it out towards the hole in the fake wall, wondering if they were doing the right thing.

"ATTENTION, VIEWERS! OUR CORRESPONDENT HAS FOUND... A VIDEO GAME! THIS ACTION-PACKED GAME IS GUARANTEED TO BLOW YOU AWAY! STRANGE ENEMIES!! STRANGE ALLIES!! ATTRACTIVE ROBOTS!! FEATURING UP TO SIX ARBITRARY DIALOGUE CHOICES AT ONCE!!"

"Fancy," Flowey said sarcastically.

"CORRESPONDENT! LET'S LOOK INSIDE THE CASE!"

Frisk nodded once, and reached over for the lock that kept the case open. When they flipped it open, they dropped it with a surprised yelp once they saw the burning fuses on the red dynamite sitting inside. Jumping back, Frisk looked up at the TV with a silent gasp.

"... THOSE RED CYLINDERS WITH BURNING FUSES..." Mettaton mused, acting as if he hadn't known they were in there all along. "OH NO!! THIS GAME LITERALLY _IS_ DYNAMITE!!" Frisk resisted the urge to sigh, but Chara groaned in their head as a replacement. "I GUESS THEY WERE RIGHT ALL ALONG!! VIDEO GAMES _DO_ CAUSE VIOLENCE! OR AT LEAST THIS ONE'S ABOUT TO. BUT DON'T GET TOO EXCITED!! YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN THE REST OF THE ROOM YET!!"

The wall crumbled, falling over the edge and down into the abyss, and Mettaton flew up into the air, his wheel replaced with a rocket. The TV was gone too, except Frisk didn't see it leave. They glanced around, looking around at every object that was now adorned with a burning fuse—except the dog, which just stood there, wagging its tail and panting, and the basketball and cup of water.

"OH MY!" Mettaton exclaimed in feign shock. "IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IN THIS AREA IS ACTUALLY A BOMB! THAT DOG'S A BOMB!" As if on cue, the edge of the dog's tail suddenly caught on fire like it was a fuse. "THAT BASKETBALL'S A BOMB!" The top of the basketball broke off, revealing the top half of a sleek, black bomb with a lit fuse.

Frisk jumped to their feet with a panic—but surely Alphys would help them, right? She's managed to help them through everything so far, even going so far to put specific functions on their phone to survive each one of Mettaton's attacks—wait.

They narrowed their eyes. Wasn't it a little _too_ convenient that Alphys was ready for anything?

Frisk didn't have any time to mull it over, because Mettaton was addressing them again.

"BRAVE CORRESPONDENT," he said slowly, almost warningly. "IF YOU DON'T DEFUSE ALL THE BOMBS..." He flew over towards a giant, pink bomb sitting on the floor on the other side. "THIS BIG BOMB WILL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS IN TWO MINUTES!! THEN YOU WON'T BE REPORTING 'LIVE' ANY LONGER!" Frisk frowned at the joke. "HOW TERRIBLE! HOW DISTURBING! OUR NINE VIEWERS ARE GOING TO LOVE WATCHING THIS!!!"

 _Weren't there ten before?_ Chara asked.

"GOOD LUCK, DARLING!!" Mettaton chuckled.

As if on cue, their phone began to ring, and Frisk wasn't surprised in the slightest when Alphys' voice came through the receiver. "D-don't worry!" she said hurriedly. "I installed a bomb-defusing program on your phone!" _Of course_ , Frisk sighed, and Chara snickered. "Use the 'defuse' button when the bomb is in the DEFUSE ZONE! N-now, go get 'em!"

The first thing that caught Frisk's eyes was the dog sleeping on the ground, seemingly oblivious to the fuse on its tail. They decided to ignore the floating timer above them as they ran up to it, frowning down at their phone in confusion. How did they activate the DEFUSE ZONE again? They pressed a random green button, and a bright green light suddenly glowed from a part on the front of their phone, engulfing the dog. They pressed the _defuse_ button, and as if by magic, the fuse disappeared.

But there wasn't any time to marvel over the technology of monsters, and Frisk ran down to the bomb in the bottom left, wincing at how it was moving around left and right. They activated the green light, trying to shine it over the video game bomb, and pressed the button. The bomb was too quick for them at first, but at their second attempt, the bomb fell to the ground with a clatter, and the fuse went out.

Frisk let out a breath of relief and moved onto the script bomb, which was stuck on the moving platforms. They managed to steady themself until they grabbed it, and stepped off the moving platform so they could shine the green light over it and defuse it.

The present bomb was the next closest one, and they rushed over to it, trying to find the fuse but deciding to just go for it and defuse it without seeing if the fuse went out or not. They only had 40 seconds left, and they had to move quick.

The basketball bomb was dribbling itself up and down, and Frisk had to jump in the air to catch it in their hands. They pushed it on the ground, holding it down just barely with one arm as they shined the green light over it and pressed _defuse_. Once the fuse went out, their phone began to ring, and they put it on speaker in a panic.

"Great job! Head for the center!" Alphys shouted, her voice slightly muffled due to the fact that the phone was currently in Frisk's back pocket. "I'm using, uh, EM fields to trap the glass of water there!"

Frisk nearly tripped on their way to the extremely agile glass of water, and it was vibrating just barely as they engulfed it with the green light and clicked the button. A sudden music track began to play, startling Frisk, and Mettaton came down from above, his dial glittering brightly.

"WELL DONE, DARLING!" he exclaimed. "YOU'VE DEACTIVATED ALL THE BOMBS!! IF YOU DIDN'T DEACTIVATE THEM, THE BIG BOMB WOULD HAVE EXPLODED IN TWO MINUTES!!"

Flowey narrowed his eyes. "There's a catch," he mumbled.

"NOW IT WON'T EXPLODE IN TWO MINUTES!!" Mettaton continued. "INSTEAD IT'LL EXPLODE IN _TWO SECONDS!_ " Frisk looked over at the big bomb frantically, ready to run away, and Mettaton laughed mechanically. "GOODBYE, DARLING!!!"

Just as Frisk was about to run, they counted two seconds, but nothing happened. They waited a few moments, but the bomb wasn't going off.

"AH. IT SEEMS THE BOMB ISN'T GOING OFF," Mettaton stated, reporting the obvious.

"That's b-because!" Alphys shouted through the receiver of Frisk's phone, and the latter decided to take it out so her voice would be clearer. "While you were monologuing... I...! I f... fix... Um, I... ch-changed..." She struggled, stammering over her words.

"OH NO. YOU DEACTIVATED THE BOMB WITH YOUR HACKING SKILLS," Mettaton finished for her, and he didn't sound surprised at all.

"Yeah! That's what I did!" Alphys declared.

"CURSES!!! IT SEEMS I'VE BEEN FOILED AGAIN!!" Mettaton shouted dramatically, and Frisk narrowed their eyes at his display. Something wasn't right. "CURSE YOU, HUMAN!!! CURSE YOU, DR. ALPHYS, FOR HELPING SO MUCH!!!" It was almost as if he was subtly trying to send a message towards them. "BUT I DON'T CURSE MY EIGHT WONDERFUL VIEWERS FOR TUNING IN!"

 _Eight? But there were nine?_ Chara huffed.

"UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLING!!!"

"W-wow... W-We really showed him, huh?" Alphys said as soon as Mettaton left, and Frisk looked down at their phone. Alphys coughed awkwardly for a moment, and then caught her words again. "H-hey, I know I was kind of weird at first... but I really think I'm getting more... uh, more... m-more confident about guiding you! S-so don't worry about that b-big d-dumb robot. I-I'll protect you from him! A-and if it really came down to it, we could just t-turn..." Her voice trailed off, and she made a weird noise from the back of her throat. "Um, nevermind!! Later!"

She hung up, and Frisk was left with the slight twinge of guilt for suspecting her of... whatever it was they were suspecting her of. But didn't everything seem a little bit too coincidental?

Almost like she was prepared for anything and everything.

 

* * *

 

As Frisk wandered by the Core again, their phone rang.

"U-um," Alphys said awkwardly. "I-I've noticed you've been kind of quiet..." She seemed to realize her words for a second, and then a shocked gasp left her in a panic. "I-I mean! You always are, b-but not like that!! I-I was just... wondering if you're worried about meeting Asgore...?" Frisk was met with silence, and Alphys took a deep breath. "W-well, don't worry, okay? Th-the king is a really nice guy... I'm sure you can talk to him, and... W-with your human soul, you can pass through the barrier!"

 _Huh?_ Chara mumbled in their head, confused by Alphys' words. They gave off a feeling of suspicion, and it only raised the feeling coiling deep within Frisk, that Alphys was somehow lying to them.

"S-so no worrying, okay? J-just forget about it and smile."

She hung up before Frisk could do anything, and they sighed as they pocketed their phone.

An elevator was up ahead, and Frisk walked into it to see a water cooler sitting by the floor selection. They leaned up, reaching for the _L3_ option, and turned around.

There was someone standing there, except it was almost like they weren't. It could be a trick of the eyes, but Frisk took a step forward to see clearer. The figure looked familiar, but also not, and Frisk squinted in an attempt to look at the person.

Faint hands began to move, trying to sign something out, but it was too late, and the doors closed before Frisk could see anything more.

 

* * *

 

 _"_ _Mama, how come we don't have a house?" they asked curiously, wide, innocent eyes looking up at their mother._

_Their mother looked annoyed by the question, but she answered nonetheless, "'Cause we ain't got a lot of money. What, are you stupid?"_

_They frowned, and decided to let the subject go and be quiet for their own sake. They settled around their blanket tighter, looking out the window at the snow falling in the darkness outside. They were seated in a bed near the window, their mother sitting beside them due to the fact that there weren't many beds to go around. Their father was elsewhere, most likely getting food for him and their mother._

_Then their mother clicked her tongue in obvious disdain. "Should've gotten rid of you when I had the chance."_

_They blinked. "Me?" they asked, pointing to themself._

_"No, the dog," their mother replied in a rude, sarcastic tone, and then slapped them in the back of the head, the sound resounding across the room and gathering attention from the others with similar situations. "Of course, you, you fucking idiot."_

_They rubbed at the back of their head, sniffling quietly and scooting away from her. She sighed, leaning back against the bed, and nudging her foot harshly against their back, silently ordering them to get off. They complied, scooting off from the comfort of the bed and sitting on the cold ground. Their mother took up the bed, stretching out on it, and she smiled in content._

_"I'll let you keep the blanket, so be grateful, eh?" she chuckled. "I may change my mind if you act like a brat or some shit like that."_

_"... Sorry," they apologized, but they weren't sure what they were apologizing for._

_Their father came back then, holding two plates of food, and he sat on the edge of the bed with their mother as he handed one to her. He completely ignored them, not even sparing them so much a glance, and they could only inhale the sweet smell of fresh food as their parents gobbled it up._

_Their stomach grumbled loudly, and their mother gave them a warning glare to keep it down._

 

* * *

 

 _You sure like to sleep in elevators, huh?_ Chara scoffed as soon as Frisk opened their eyes.

Frisk blinked, standing up from the floor. _I didn't realize I had fallen asleep._

_I guess you're just used to sleeping on the floor._

Frisk decided to ignore their words, and they stepped out of the elevator.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im cryin i didnt expect this fic to get so much attention?? yall are so great im c ryin i love you all thank you for being determined and continuing to read this fic :')))


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter is kinda late omg. i was busy trying to finish my other undertale fic so i could be done with it and hooray i finished!! also i have my haikyuu fic and ugh. why do i chose to work on so many fics at the same time.
> 
> anyways, enjoy this chapter!!

The next level of Hotland wasn't as hot as below, but Frisk assumed it was just because they were farther away from the lava.

They walked away from the elevator, suddenly feeling the suspicious sensation of something watching them. Out of the corner of their eyes, they swore they could see irregular grey figures staring at them from behind.

The sensation quickly wore off once Frisk walked in front of a pretty spider at a stand. Her smile was kind and polite, but something about it unsettled them. They were about to ask Chara about it, but it seemed their companion was far too busy marveling at her. The observation made them snicker.

 _Do you think she's pretty?_ they asked, in an attempt to tease Chara.

Chara just scoffed, unfazed. _Uh, yeah? Don't you?_

Frisk tried to fight down a big smile. _Yes, I do_ , they replied honestly.

They stepped in front of the stand, feeling Flowey shift at their side so he could get a better look, and looked around at the items placed across the surface. They all looked quite... interesting (though, if they were being honest, not as fresh and delicious as the bunny's cinnamon buns back in Snowdin).

"Welcome to our parlor, dearie," the spider chirped sweetly, and Frisk could hear Chara sigh dreamily in their head. "Interested in some spider pastries?" The spider motioned towards the stand with two of her hands, the other four clasped together in front of her chest. "All proceeds go to real spiders!"

Frisk somewhat recalled seeing something like a spider shop somewhere. They thought for a moment, looking down at the pastries.

 _You bought a donut in the Ruins,_ Chara reminded them, and then paused. _Or was it a jug...?_

Oh yeah! That was it. Frisk hummed to themself and leaned in to look at the items for sale. The one on the left looked like something akin to a powerful bracelet, and they cocked their head curiously. Upon closer inspection, they realized that it was just a croissant, and they gave an odd look towards the spider (who was still smiling very sweetly at them).

On the right was a spider donut, similar to the one Frisk had bought in the Ruins. _It looks more... rubbery than usual,_ Chara observed with a strange undertone in their voice.

Then Frisk looked at the prices, and their eyes widened. There was no _way_ they had that kind of money!

Frisk looked at the spider sheepishly, and tried to make a motion that said _Maybe next time._ The spider lady seemed to understand, and her smile fell just slightly, but she nodded anyway. But she was staring at Frisk with a creepy glint in her eye, and she licked her lips. Frisk raised an eyebrow, turning away, and fought back a shiver when they felt the spider's gaze on their back.

 

* * *

 

"You're staggering," Flowey said, eyeing Frisk up and down as they walked back from the last puzzle. "Are you okay?"

Frisk swallowed thickly, clearing their throat and putting a hand on their stomach. They hesitated before nodding once, scratching at their hand and looking away from Flowey's scrutinizing gaze.

"Sit down or something," Flowey instructed, apprehensive that Frisk might collapse and take him down with them. "You look like you're about to pass out."

They decided against arguing and plopped on the ground, right in front of the door that was slowly opening (due to the fact that Frisk had completed both puzzles—with Flowey's help on the last one). Rubbing their stomach, they frowned at the uncomfortable pain that remained no matter what they tried. They felt dizzy, and their body was hot and cold at the same time.

 _You might have a fever_ , Chara threw out casually.

Frisk pursed their lips and pouted. A fever would definitely slow them down from their journey. Before they realized it, Flowey had successfully maneuvered the backpack from Frisk's shoulders and had turned it around so he could look them in the face properly.

"You're not sweating," he mumbled, almost to himself, narrowing his eyes as if squinting.

Frisk swallowed, their throat as dry as a desert. Their skin was turning unbelievably dry, and their lips were cracked and bleeding. They tried licking them, despite Chara's warning that licking your lips only makes them drier. They looked around at the area around them, their vision beginning to spin and blur together. Frisk groaned almost silently, holding their head in their hands and scratching at their scalp.

 _Oh_ , Chara said suddenly, like they were realizing something. _You might want to get somewhere cooler._

 _Huh?_ Frisk asked, and they took note with great annoyance that even speaking in their head was beginning to get difficult with the way their mind was clouding up. _What do you mean?_

 _Heat exhaustion_ , Chara replied in a matter-of-factly voice. _I've had it before. Hotland is a pretty good place if you're aiming to get it. If we don't hurry and treat it, it'll turn into heatstroke pretty quick._

 _Oh..._ Frisk gulped, their hands beginning to get clammy. They looked down at Flowey, watching with confusion as the worry in his eyes shifted to recognition.

 _Here, I'll help you_ , Chara said, and Frisk was about to question them when suddenly their entire being felt like it was floating, and their stomach flipped uncomfortably as a whole other presence stepping into their skin beside them. They were still there, but yet not, and half of them was being pressed up against a cold, invisible specter. Like they were sharing their own body with someone else, both of them controlling one aspect at a time yet neither not in full control.

Frisk blinked, suddenly only able to see through one side. Flowey was giving them a horrific stare, and even if his expression was the same as before, they could see it in his eyes. He was confused, most of all, and startled. A cold chill washed over Frisk's body as something began to speak directly in their ear, _Ew. You do have heat exhaustion._

Their eyes widened. _How are you doing that?_

Chara gave an inward shrug. _Dunno. New trick, eh?_

Frisk tried to nod, but felt themself getting drowsier and weaker by the second. Chara seemed to think for a moment, and remained silent as they began to forcibly stand up, wobbling a bit and cursing at the weakness in their—no, _Frisk's_ —legs. Flowey was still staring, and he jolted in surprise when Chara leaned down and grabbed the backpack, swinging it over their—Frisk's—shoulders.

This wasn't their body. This wasn't their body.

Chara took a deep breath, feeling Frisk's energy begin to weaken further, and trudged forward.

 

* * *

 

Chara forced themself out of control once they managed to make it towards the entrance of the spider lair. The air smelled of cobwebs and beautiful, intricate webs littered the ground.

Flowey was silent, quietly urging Frisk along as they stumbled over their own feet, hanging their head and staring at the purple ground as they walked in. The inside of the spider lair was cool, thankfully, and dark. Once they made it inside, their feet began to stick onto webs, and they struggled. Flowey had to reach down and cut the webs just so they could move forward.

Frisk's head was spinning, their stomach was churning like they were going to vomit, but above all that, they just wanted some water to drink. Or anything, really. Their throat was burning and their skin was cool and clammy despite the sweat beginning to pour.

There was distant laughter as spiders began to whisper to each other about a human. _A human wearing a striped shirt will come through_ , they said. _I heard that they hate spiders_ , they said. _I heard that they love to stomp on them_ , they said. _I heard that they like to tear their legs off_ , they said.

Frisk wasn't paying attention. They swallowed, rubbing at their neck as they took a step forward—except they couldn't move anymore. They were trapped in a thick web, feet coated in something white and sticky and solid, and as they walked further it reached up to their torso. They struggled and struggled, but then their body began to weaken considerably and they were leaning against the webs tiredly.

"I heard..." another voice said from below, and it was very familiar. Then a figure suddenly appeared, standing beautifully on a large, thin web connected to the wall with various webstrings. "...that they're awfully stingy with their money."

Frisk looked up weakly at the spider lady, and faintly heard the spiders whispering a name. _Muffet_ , the spiders seemed to be saying.

"Ahuhuhu..." Muffet chuckled. "You think your taste is too refined for our pastries, don't you, dearie?" She giggled again, her eyes twinkling dangerously as they settled on them. "I disagree with that notion. I think your taste... is exactly what this next batch needs!"

Just as they were shoved into a battle, their soul ripping from their body and hovering in front of them, Frisk let out a soft moan and tried to move, but their consciousness was fading and _all_ they wanted was some water and a nap, that's it, and they let out a final groan as they slumped forward.

 

* * *

 

When Frisk opened their eyes, they were covered in spiders.

They couldn't scream, so instead they gave a silent, startled gasp, and jolted upwards. The spiders seemed more afraid of them than they were, and they scurried off into the darkness. Frisk panted, looking around wildly, trying to figure out where they were. When they settled their hands on the ground, they felt a cold, wet substance, and grimaced. Looking down, they saw a large white spiderweb, and on the other side was Muffet, sitting politely across from them and drinking tea.

"Would you like some, dearie?" she asked, holding up another teapot and cup in another pair of hands.

Frisk blinked a few times, picking at their nails awkwardly, and then nodded. They flinched when they felt the backpack lean against them, and Flowey settled himself between the unclasped opening.

Muffet used a spiderweb to settle a teacup of warm tea into Frisk's hands. It wasn't too hot, wasn't too cold, and oddly enough, it was a rather pretty shade of purple. Now that they thought about it, nearly everything in the lair was either purple or black.

"You blacked out right when I was about to fight you!" Muffet explained with a sly grin. "You didn't buy anything from my parlor in Hotland, so I assumed you were merely a stingy human who cared little for a spider." She seemed to flip her hair, but it was a bit hard to see with Frisk's vision vaguely blurry. "Ahuhu... but when you passed out, I received a telegram from spiders in the Ruins, telling me that they saw you purchase something from there!" When Frisk nodded, she covered her mouth and giggled. "I apologize for the misunderstanding. To make up for it, I've been cooling you down and taking care of you since you passed out."

Frisk nodded again, and gave a smile, signing, **Thank you**.

They couldn't tell if Muffet understood or not, for she only gave a small chuckle. "Now, I don't know much about humans," she said with a sigh, "but I'm sure their body temperatures aren't supposed to be nearly as high as yours was~"

It was like she was waiting for an explanation, so Frisk just shrugged and downed their tea. They had been holding themself back on the fear that they would seem rude, but the burning in their throat was getting far too intense. Surprisingly, the tea almost instantly began to soothe them, going down easy and erasing all traces of nausea they once had as it went down. They looked down at the now empty teacup, and then back up at Muffet.

She grinned, her pointy teeth glinting. "I added a touch of healing magic to your tea," she explained, pinching her fingers in a motion to emphasis her words. "It should heal almost any medical flaw you may have. Ahuhuhu... though, I've only used it on my spiders, so I'm not quite sure how it'll work on humans."

Frisk smiled and gave a thumbs-up, drawing a scoff from Flowey. They held out their cup, silently asking Muffet for more. She gladly poured more of the delicious, purple tea, and Frisk resisted the urge to lick their lips once they saw the magic liquid sloshing in the cup.

 _Don't drink too much_ , Chara warned just as they gulped another sip down. _Your body isn't used to magic, and too much will have negative effects._

 _How come you know all this stuff?_ Frisk asked curiously, wrapping their hands around the heated cup and taking another drink.

Chara made an odd noise, and gave off the impression of a shrug. _I've been in the Underground for a while. I know a lot of stuff, I guess._

 _How long have you been dead?_ they asked before they could stop themself, and Frisk stiffened outwardly. Chara immediately went silent, and Frisk was about to apologize profusely when they replied,

_Not sure, honestly. Probably a long time._

_...Oh,_ Frisk mumbled, and then frowned. _Sorry._

_It's alright._

They let the subject drop from there.

 

* * *

 

After a polite chat with Muffet and another cup of tea later, Frisk bid their goodbyes and waved to Muffet as they exited the lair. Once they walked out, the following light shining down nearly blinded them, and they stumbled back with a surprised gasp, shielding their eyes.

"Ew," Flowey scoffed from beside them, and Frisk was confused as to what he was referring to until they saw the poster on the wall beside them.

They wandered up to it, leaning forward to read the words and holding their hand to their right side so they could see despite the bright light hitting them. It was a poster advertising Mettaton's latest stage performance, the image depicting him in a pink spotlight surrounded by sparkles. _A tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers, kept apart by the tides of fate..._ read the poster.

Judging by the information on the poster, it was almost time for the performance.

 _This should be good_ , Chara snickered as Frisk walked forth...

...onto what looked like a stage.

There was a setup of a castle beside them, with a dramatic staircase littered in roses leading down. Frisk looked at it for a while, then turned to stare at the clearly fake setup of what was supposed to look romantic. It wasn't working very well in their opinion. Flowey seemed to agree, for he let out a long sigh and settled himself down into the backpack.

"OH? THAT HUMAN..." It could only be one person. "COULD IT BE..."

Frisk looked up at the top of the staircase, and blinked. Mettaton was suddenly at the top of the staircase, his hands clasped in front of his chest. He was adorned in a beautiful pale blue gown, fit for a princess of a regal kingdom.

"...MY ONE TRUE LOVE?"

Music began to play from nowhere, startling Frisk and making them jump. Mettaton lifted the hem of his dress and began to climb steadily down the stairs, giving Frisk a look that they couldn't describe. He was very good at acting, they noticed, but they figured that was why he was the star of the underground. They idly wondered if there were any other, lower-leveled, stars alongside Mettaton, but then they were interrupted by singing.

_Oh my love_

_Please run away_

_Monster King_

_Forbids your stay_

"Oh my God," Flowey groaned from the backpack, his voice muffled.

Frisk could only bite their lip to hide an amused smile.

_Humans must_

_Live far apart_

_Even if it breaks my heart_

_How long do you think it took him to make this up?_ Chara piped up, giving off the impression that they were tapping their chin in thought.

Frisk let out a snicker. _Not long, probably._

_They'll put you_

_In the dungeon_

_It'll suck and then you'll die a lot_

_Oh my_ , Chara laughed.

"The big turning point," drawled Flowey sarcastically.

_Really sad_

_You're gonna die_

_Cry cry cry_

_So sad it's happening_

Mettaton finished with a dramatic flourish of his arms, and then the music stopped abruptly. He let out a robotic sigh, but he didn't sound inconvenienced or sad in the slightest. He rolled up, and placed his gloved hand atop Frisk's head. "SO SAD," he said. "SO SAD THAT YOU ARE GOING TO THE DUNGEON." Then he shrugged, rolled backwards, and whipped out a remote control with a large button on it seemingly from nowhere. "WELL, TOODLES!!"

He pressed the button, and a square hole suddenly appeared underneath Frisk. They gulped, trying to grab onto the edge as they fell, but to no avail. They tumbled down, landing onto the ground with a harsh thud. Their head spun and their vision was clouded for a few moments as they picked themself up, and then looked over at Mettaton who was looking down at them with his hands folded behind his back.

"OH NO! WHATEVER SHALL I DO?" he exclaimed dramatically, like a badly-portrayed damsel in distress. "MY LOVE HAS BEEN CAST AWAY INTO THE DUNGEON. A DUNGEON WITH A PUZZLE SO DASTARDLY, MY PARAMOUR WILL SURELY PERISH!"

Frisk looked over at said puzzle, and blanched. It was the same puzzle they faced in Snowdin, with Papyrus, except this time they were sure it wouldn't turn out lucky for them.

"O, HEAVENS HAVE MERCY! THE HORRIBLE COLORED TILE MAZE!!" Mettaton gasped. "EACH COLORED TILE HAS ITS OWN SADISTIC FUNCTION. FOR EXAMPLE, A GREEN TILE SOUNDS A NOISE, AND THEN YOU MUST FIGHT A MONSTER..."

As he drawled on and on, Chara groaned in exasperation. _I'M SO SICK OF THESE LONG SPEECHES_ , they all but shouted. _JUST GET TO THE POINT ALREADY!_

Flowey seemed to be on the same page with them, even though Frisk was sure he didn't even know of Chara's existence. He groaned, popping his head out of the backpack and giving Mettaton a death glare. If looks could kill, Mettaton would surely be a batch of bolts scattered on the ground by now.

"DIDN'T WE SEE THIS PUZZLE ABOUT A HUNDRED ROOMS BEFORE?" Mettaton stopped suddenly. "THAT'S RIGHT. YOU REMEMBER ALL THE RULES, DON'T YOU?" Frisk's only question was how did he know that they faced the same puzzle before. "GREAT!! THEN I WON'T WASTE YOUR TIME REPEATING THEM!!! OH, AND YOU'D BETTER HURRY. BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T GET THROUGH IN 30 SECONDS..."

He paused, and there was a sudden _woosh_ sound behind them. Frisk turned around, and their heart dropped to their stomach once they saw the row of flames sitting there, just waiting to roast them alive.

"...YOU'LL BE INCINERATED BY THESE JETS OF FIRE!!!" Mettaton exclaimed, almost sadistically. "AHAHAHAHAHA!!! AHAHA... HA... HA!!! MY POOR LOVE! I'M SO FILLED WITH GRIEF, I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING!!!"

Chara clicked their tongue. _I feel that._

Frisk gave an outward, puzzled expression, but there was no time to question what they meant, for the timer was already counting down and Mettaton was singing again. They blinked in surprise, urging themself across the slowly-moving platform, and then stepped onto the pink tile. Not sure where to go, they turned to the right, and continued moving forward. On their way, they hit quite many wrong tiles, even getting electrocuted three or four times, and it left their hair in a spiky mess. Chara had commented on how they looked like a scene kid, and even though they didn't know what that meant, Frisk ignored them and continued on. They weren't paying attention to the timer as they moved, and by the time the timer went off, they weren't even halfway across.

The tiles went grey underneath their feet, and Mettaton chuckled above them. "OH, I'M SO SORRY!!! LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE OUT OF TIME!!!"

Two jets of fire came from both sides, and Frisk's eyes went wide as they began to close in. "HERE COME THE FLAMES, DARLING!!" Mettaton declared, and Frisk desperately tried to look for an escape route. They considered jumping over them, but as the flames got closer and the tips licked the air higher, they figured that they couldn't jump that high. It was impossible. Mettaton continued to laugh as the fire got so close that Frisk could feel the heat underneath their clothing. A panicked noise left their throat painfully, and just when one of the flames barely licked Frisk's hands, they stopped moving.

Frisk lifted their head slightly, tightening their body as much as they could to prevent themself from touching the flames. Their body was unbelievably warm, and they were worried that they might get heat exhaustion again. Mettaton gave a robotic cough, glancing around awkwardly.

Frisk's phone began to ring, and they answered it curiously.

"Watch out! I'll save you!" Alphys immediately declared. "I'm hacking into the firewall right now!" As soon as the words left her mouth, the flames went out like a light, and the heat was gone as quickly as it came. Frisk stretched themself out, and smiled against the phone.

"OH NO!!!!" Mettaton gasped, throwing the back of his hand over his forehead (or, what would be his forehead). "HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? FOILED AGAIN BY THE BRILLIANT DR. ALPHYS!!!"

There was an awkward silence, and Frisk kicked at the ground lightly.

"THA—"

"That's right!" Alphys interrupted, her voice louder than it needed to be. "C'mon, Mettaton, give up already! You'll never be able to defeat us! Not as long as we work together!"

Frisk stuck their tongue out childishly at Mettaton, half-joking.

"Your puzzle's over... Now go home and leave us alone!"

Mettaton scoffed. "PUZZLE? OVER? ALPHYS, DARLING, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT...? DID YOU FORGET WHAT THE GREEN TILES DO?" Frisk realized what he was talking about, and they sighed. "THEY MAKE A SOUND, THEN YOU HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER. WELL, DARLING... THAT MONSTER..."

He paused.

"...IS ME!!!"

The way their soul came out almost seemed like it was fake, and Mettaton was standing before them like everything was a game to him. It probably was. At least, everything was just a show to him.

"THIS IS IT, DARLING! SAY GOODBYE!!" His words weren't believable, and Frisk narrowed their eyes at him.

"H-hey, this seems bad, but don't worry!" Alphys declared from their phone, and Frisk lifted it to their ear. "Th-there's one last thing I installed on your phone...! You see that yellow button? Press it!"

Frisk raised an eyebrow, holding out the phone and hesitantly pressing the glowing yellow button. The phone made a whirring sound, and shot up into the air. It began to contract and shade over into a brilliant color, and then landed safely onto Frisk's hands in the form of a bright yellow gun. Their eyes widened, turning it over to try and figure out if it was real or not. Chara made an _oooo_ sound in their head, seemingly in awe.

"Now press the trigger!" Alphys instructed.

So they did so. A magic yellow bullet came from the gun and hit Mettaton. He looked startled for a moment, but his aura of confidence returned as quickly as it left, and if he could grin, he would've been.

"OOOOOH! OOOOOOOOOOOOH!!" he gasped dramatically. "YOU'VE DEFEATED ME!!! HOW CAN THIS BE, YOU WERE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT, ETC."

 _Being sarcastic is my job_ , Chara grumbled at the same time Flowey muttered, "Sarcasm is _my_ thing."

Mettaton gave a lazy wave as he disappeared, and Frisk frowned at the scene that just took place as their phone began to move back into its original, cellphone form.

"L-looks like you beat him!" Alphys said, but Frisk wasn't so sure. "Y-you did a really great job out there!" But at those words, all their previous suspicions melted away for a moment, and they basked in the feeling that came with that praise. Frisk smiled brightly, and they were sure Alphys could see them right now because she gave a heartfelt sigh at the sight of it.

"...um, h-hey," she said hesitantly, "this might sound strange, but... c-can I tell you something?" Frisk nodded, but it seemed Alphys was going to continue regardless. "B-before I met you, I d-didn't really... I didn't really like myself very much." They swallowed; they could relate. "For a long time, I f-felt like a total screw-up. L-like I couldn't do a-anything without... ending up letting everyone down."

Frisk let their gaze cast downwards, shifting their feet a little.

"B-but, guiding you has made me feel... a lot better about myself," Alphys continued, and Frisk immediately felt bad for suspecting her of lying. The heavy weight of guilty settled on their back and they squirmed. "So... thanks for letting me help you..." She sighed, and then made a weird noise in the back of her throat. "Uhh, anyway, we're almost to the Core! It's just past MTT Resort!"

They figured MTT stood for Mettaton. Figures.

"Come on! Let's finish this!" encouraged Alphys, and then hung up.

"Yeesh," Flowey scoffed as Frisk stared down at their phone dejectedly. "What a load of garbage." He noticed the look on Frisk's face and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you?" His words came out harsher than he meant them to, but he didn't really care.

Frisk glanced at him from the corner of their eyes and gave a half-hearted shrug, shaking their head and gripping onto the straps of their backpack. **Nothing** , they signed, and they were sure they were believable until Chara gave off the impression that they, in fact, were _not_ convinced.

 

* * *

 

"Hey, hey, did you remember my name?"

Frisk stared at him for a moment before nodding, a smile spreading on their face. Heats Flamesman's jaw suddenly dropped, and his eyes went comically wide.

"Wh-WHAT!? You REMEMBER!?" he gasped, sounding completely surprised. "How could I be so easily defeateeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!?"

Frisk glanced around awkwardly, not sure what to do.

"I will always remember that you remembered!" Heats Flamesman said, giving Frisk a hard stare.

They just nodded, smiling at him, and turned back after realizing that they had gone the wrong direction.

 

* * *

 

MTT Resort looked rather quaint on the outside, surprisingly. There was a piece of paper on the ground, as well as a red carpet leading up the entrance. The sign above the door was almost like a sign for a diner.

Sans was standing beside the entrance, his hands in his pockets. Frisk grinned excitedly and walked up to him, although in the back of their mind they wondered how he had gotten there so fast.

"hey," he greeted. "i heard you're going to the core." He nudged his head towards the resort. "how about grabbing some dinner with me first?"

Frisk nodded eagerly, and, if possible, his grin grew even wider. "great, thanks for treating me." He turned, walking towards an alleyway that seemingly led to nowhere. "over here. i know a shortcut." Frisk followed Sans, despite the fact that where they were going was a dead end.

Then they blinked, and suddenly they were sitting in front of a table. They looked around, startled, and noticed that they were in what looked like a fancy restaurant. Their table was noticeably shorter than the others, but maybe that was just because Frisk was very small and Sans wasn't that much taller than them.

"well, here we are," Sans said, glancing down at the table for a moment, and then back up at Frisk. "so. your journey's almost over, huh?"

Frisk shrugged, and decided to take off their backpack for the sake of being polite in a dining area. Flowey was specifically silent, and it was almost like he wasn't even in the bag from the way he was not moving or speaking.

"you must really wanna go home," Sans continued, and Frisk frowned. That wasn't their intention. They were going to free all monsters; was that part not clear? They weren't even sure they _had_ a home anymore. The only true home they ever had was Toriel, and yet they had turned her down. The thought made them slump in their chair, and Sans seemed to take their body language for something else entirely.

"hey, i know the feeling, buddo," he said, and Frisk folded their hands in their lap. "though... maybe sometimes it's better to take what's given to you."

They thought of Toriel, and how despite the fact that she offered them a loving home, they urged her to let them leave to they could complete their mission. They wondered if she was worrying about them. They wondered what she was doing, but then they shook their head and returned back to the present situation at hand.

"down here you've already got food, drink, friends..." Sans said, and his words were just making Frisk more and more confused with each syllable. "is what you have to do... really worth it?"

Frisk blinked. It was like he meant something else entirely. For a moment, they felt a pull on their soul and a sharp pain in their stomach. They winced, but didn't let it show on their face. They wouldn't ruin this.

Sans turned his head to the side, and chuckled. "ah, forget it. i'm rooting for ya, kid."

For a split second, Frisk's vision blurred into white and they saw an image of Sans leaning above them with a hateful smile on his face, splattered in blood that wasn't his, but _theirs_ , adorned with a glowing blue and orange eye. They jolted in their chair, gripping the sides to prevent from leaning back, and Sans glanced at them in concern as they let out a slow breath to calm themself. Chara was strangely quiet in their head, but Frisk could feel the impression of a smile.

"hey," he said, trying to deviate the subject. "let me tell you a story."

Frisk nodded, inhaling slowly to try and alleviate the sting in their tummy.

"so i'm a sentry in the snowdin forest, right? i sit out there and watch for humans. it's kind of boring." He winked. "fortunately, deep in the forest, there's this HUGE locked door."

 _The Ruins_ , is what immediately came to Frisk's mind.

"and it's perfect for practicing knock-knock jokes. so one day, i'm knocking 'em out, like usual. i knock on the door and say 'knock knock'. and suddenly, from the other side, i hear a woman's voice." He raised his pitch to mimic a feminine tone. "'who is there?'" Then he chuckled. "so, naturally, i respond: 'dishes'. 'dishes who?' she asks." He winked, giving Frisk a sly grin. "'dishes a very bad joke'."

Frisk couldn't help themself—they snickered.

"then she just howls with laughter. like it's the best joke she's heard in a hundred years. so i keep 'em coming, and she keeps laughing." Frisk smiled as he continued on; they were 99% certain that the woman he was speaking of was Toriel. "she's the best audience i've ever had. then, after a dozen of 'em, SHE knocks and says... 'Knock knock!'. i say 'whos there?' 'Old lady!' 'old lady who?'" He seemed like he was trying to hold back a laugh. "'Oh! I did not know you could yodel!'"

 _That's such a mom joke_ , Chara supplied.

"wow," Sans chuckled, and winked. "needless to say, this woman was extremely good. we kept telling each other jokes for hours. eventually, i had to leave. papyrus gets kind of cranky without his bedtime story."

Frisk pursed their lips. They quite liked bedtime stories too—when they got them (which was rare).

"but she told me to come by again, and so i did. then i did again. and again. it's a thing now. telling bad jokes through the door. it rules." He glanced to the side again, like he was thinking deeply, or he was conflicted by something. Frisk wasn't sure which it was. He hesitated before speaking again, "one day, though, i noticed she wasn't laughing very much. i asked her what was up. then she told me something strange. 'if a human ever comes through this door... could you please, please promise me something? watch over them, and protect them, will you not?'"

Their entire body went stiff.

"now, i hate making promises," Sans continued, and an uncomfortable chill stabbed Frisk from behind. "and this woman, i don't even know her name. but... someone who sincerely likes bad jokes... has an integrity you can't say no to." Even though he was winking playfully, his tone suggested that he was being serious.

He was silent for a moment. His gaze on Frisk seemed to only intensify, and for seemingly no reason at all, they began to get nervous. "do you get what i'm saying? that promise i made to her... you know what would have happened if she hadn't said anything?" He turned his head away, and chuckled. "buddy..."

When he turned back, the pupils in his eyes were gone.

" **Y o u ' d  b e  d e a d  w h e r e  y o u  s t a n d.** "

Frisk's breath caught in their throat, and their eyes widened. Painful memories flashed in their head and they couldn't understand most of them. Images of blood, bones, and blue hearts were the gist of them, but every single picture made them feel dizzier and dizzier. Tears welled in their eyes and threatened to spill over, and they cursed themself for being so weak as to cry just because they were scared.

"hey, lighten up, bucko," Sans tried, looking a bit panicked at Frisk's expression. "i'm just joking with you!" He tried winking, but it was too late, and Frisk used their sleeves to cover their eyes and shield the waterworks.

Sans made a wincing sound, looking around frantically, unsure of what to do. "um... haven't i done a great job protecting you, though?" he asked, beginning to sweat.

Frisk looked up from their sleeves, sniffling and wiping at the remaining tears. They were trying their hardest to stop crying, but they knew from experience that once you started crying, it was difficult to stop. And if you were caught crying, the consequences would be severe.

"i mean... look at yourself. you haven't died a single time." Sans winked, his grin hiding something underneath. Frisk thought back to Undyne, and it must have shown on their face. "hey, what's that look supposed to mean? am i wrong...?"

Frisk sniffed again, wiping underneath their eyes and taking deep breaths to calm themself. Sans wandered away from the table, huffing out a chuckle.

"well, that's all," he said, shoving his hands back into his pockets. "take care of yourself, kid. 'cause someone really cares about you."

They found it hard to believe.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was kinda... boring
> 
> sorry about that
> 
> i tried to write it up until the mtt ex fight but then it would be so long and im... 2 weak 4 that
> 
> comments are always appreciated!! i love reading and replying to every single one...i love u all pls


	17. Chapter 17

The MTT Resort wasn't like any resort they had ever been in. But, well, maybe they hadn't been in many resorts at all. None, in fact. Maybe this is what resorts were supposed to look like? Without all the monsters, of course, and instead replace monsters with humans.

They had been kicked out of the restaurant by a large monster, who said that since they didn't have a reservation for anything, they couldn't stay. Apparently reservations were big here.

The first thing they saw was the giant, oddly-constructed fountain of Mettaton in the center of the room, the water spewing from Mettaton's apparent mouth missing the surface of the fountain and instead splattering against the ground. The red rug and floor were getting soaked, and Frisk made a point to not step on it and get their boots wet.

They didn't have enough money to rent a room, so they curiously traveled into what appeared to be a restaurant called _MTT-Brand Burger Emporium_. There they decided to purchase an expensive burger called a Glamburger, complete with a sparkling and glittering purple bun, and hopped up on the counter beside the boy at the cashier, striking up a friendly conversation with him. Despite the fact that they didn't speak at all, they let the boy (who was very reluctant to talk to them at first) ramble to them about his life and troubles. He told them how he wanted to be an actor, then some compelling and thoughtful advice on how not to waste your entire life and how to never interact with attractive people.

And, oddly enough, the only name he provided them with was "Burgerpants", a name coined from an event as a teenager when he snuck two girls in an alley a bunch of Glamburgers, only to be caught by his boss and be startled so badly that the burgers in his pockets fell and the weight of the burgers caused his pants to fall.

Chara found the story to be very amusing.

After saying goodbye to their new friend, Frisk left the hotel to go outside and travel back into the alley to meet the supposed two girls who gave Burgerpants his nickname in the first place. They expected mean, punk rock chicks, but instead were met with two friendly girls who were best friends and maybe even more judging from the way they looked at each other. They offered Frisk some of their "junk", decently priced but questionably obtained. After buying the junk food as a snack for Flowey and the mysterious key with the help of a suggestion from Chara, Frisk put their items in their bag and decided to talk with the two girls a bit. It wasn't a long conversation like the one they had with Burgerpants, but it was meaningful nonetheless.

It was amazing how many monsters were willing to speak with them without even batting an eyelash. A lot of adults on the surface couldn't be bothered with stupid children who couldn't say anything back. But down here, they didn't mind. Frisk wondered if it would be bad if they stayed a little longer than they first intended to.

With nothing else to explore, they went through the door and started walking towards the Core.

 

* * *

 

The Core was bathed in a brilliant blue light, complete with scattered wires and bolts and weird designs, giving off an old 90s-sci-fi-movie feel. There were panels everywhere but Frisk couldn't understand most of the words on them, and neither could Chara, so they decided to ignore them and continue on. As they walked further in, the feeling that they were being watched only increased and made an unsettling feeling of anxiety blossom on their chest.

Flowey was out of the backpack, his head peeking out so he could pay attention to everything that was going on. He seemed to be in the same boat as Frisk, remaining silent and looking around and checking behind him every so often.

The ringing of their phone startled them so badly that it fell out of their hands and clattered to the ground. They took a deep breath, staring down at the ringing phone for a few moments before picking it up.

"Ready? This is it!" Alphys declared, not noticing how heavy Frisk's breathing was. "Take the elevator up to the top of the Core!"

Frisk did as she said, except when they pressed the elevator's call button, nothing happened.

"W-what? The elevator should be working..." she mumbled, almost to herself. "W-well then! Go to the right and keep heading up!"

Frisk tried to gulp down their anxiety, to no avail, and walked over towards the right door. There was a strange heat coming from it, and when they walked through, they were met with a deep, black, bottomless pit with flames erupting from it. The space was empty and disturbing, and Frisk's face went pale just from the sight of it. Why were they so nervous? Why did they keep glancing over their shoulder, expecting something to be there?

Ugh.

"W-what? This pit isn't on my map..."

Frisk wasn't really listening. Their head was pounding, and they rubbed at their forehead with the hand not holding the phone, tightening their jaw and wincing through their clenched teeth. It was almost like something was unfurling inside them, building up and just waiting to blossom.

Chara felt intrigued.

Flowey was giving them a strange look as they hobbled out of the room, retreating the left door through Alphys' instructions. "Is something wrong?" he asked unsurely, pressing his stem against their shoulder in an attempt to get their attention. "Hey. What is it?"

All of their surroundings were void as their mind started to play what felt like a film reel.

 

* * *

 

_"Just thank your stars we managed to get a home," their mother said, slightly garbled through her cigarette in the corner of her mouth. Her hand was firmly twisted in the back of their shirt as she carried them inside, hitching them up higher on her hip as their sleeping body slumped against her._

_"Heavy?" their father asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'll take 'em."_

_Their mother shook her head. "I just gotta put the kid to bed. Out like a light, I'll tell ya. One perk of this kid, I guess."_

_Their father raised an eyebrow at her. "I thought you wanted kids."_

_She shrugged. "Not so early. This kid was an accident. An unwanted one."_

_"You could've just gotten an abortion."_

_"Couldn't afford it, much less the trip," their mother replied, shaking her head and opening the door to the one bedroom their new apartment contained. "All these new laws didn't give me many options."_

_Their father nodded, and didn't say anything more as their mother ripped them away from her body and less-than-carefully put them on the bed, in the middle so they wouldn't roll off and start crying. Crying was annoying._

_Their father and mother restarted their conversation once they left the room, shifting between arguing and flirting as they spoke about paying bills, managing jobs, and struggling with their unfinished education. Their mother was a junior in high school when she gave birth to them, after all, and a child didn't really help with her previous lack of appropriate funds._

_As their shadows disappeared down the hall, they shifted on the bed, rolling onto their stomach and opening one eye. They stared at the door blankly. Being so young, they didn't understand a lot of it. Hell, they hardly understood themself. They didn't get why their parents called them this and that when they didn't feel like any of that at all._

_Most of all, they didn't understand why their mother would call them an unwanted accident._

 

* * *

 

"U-um, a-are you okay?" Alphys' voice snapped them out of whatever it was they were stuck in, and Frisk wobbled.

Flowey was giving them a weird stare, torn between asking them what the hell happened and just letting it go entirely. In their head, Chara was giving off the impression of curiosity, and an odd satisfaction. Frisk could feel their smile pressing up against their shared headspace.

Frisk decided to press on, ignoring the unsettling presences crawling up their back and the fact that an old, old memory of from when they were 3 suddenly decided to resurface.

The layout of the Core was apparently very different from Alphys' maps. Every path she led them on was the wrong direction, and multiple times they were electrified by lasers and attacked by monsters. She couldn't hack into the Core system to turn off anything, and even when she turned off the entire power node, it just turned on by itself. Her voice was getting progressively shakier with each sentence, but Frisk only felt numb. The voices around them sounded far away, and their hands were clammy and twitching. They were barely paying attention to their surroundings as they trudged forward, and they fell forward on their face. Suddenly, everything hit them at once, and they took deep breaths and gasped as if they were a drowning person starved for air.

Alphys sent them forward, until they reached a standstill of three different paths. Deciding that nothing looked like her map at all, she suddenly sounded depressed, and hung up. Frisk tried to let her know that she couldn't give up via text, but the message wouldn't send. She had turned her phone off.

 _Oh boy_ , Chara sighed. _Now what?_

Frisk stood, brushing themself off and glancing around them. The eeriness of the Core seemed to dissipate as they walked forward, but the sensation that they were being watched refused to leave, and a weird feeling settled deep in their stomach.

Flowey raised an eyebrow at them. "What was _that_ about?"

Frisk gave him an odd stare, tilting their head as if to ask _What?_

"You know," he scoffed, rolling his eyes, but continued nonetheless, "your whole, weird... _behavior_ thing." He struggled with the right word, like it was on the tip of his tongue. "You were... out of it. Very out of it."

Frisk stared at him for a few moments, and then turned their gaze to their feet. Deciding to just give a one-sided shrug, they ignored Flowey as he pouted childishly and settled himself to lean against Frisk's shoulder, his petals drooping.

They turned to the left, and Chara decided to pipe up.

_Your parents were pretty shitty people, huh?_

Frisk nearly stopped in their tracks. _Wh—don't curse._

Chara practically burst out laughing. _Out of all things, you choose that to address!?_

Frisk huffed, and pouted. _I ignored the other part._

 _Ah... I get it_ , Chara sighed, and gave off the impression of a hair flip. _Did they beat you or something? Or just flat out ignore you?_

They shifted in place, tugging at the sleeves of their sweater and glancing around uncomfortably. _Um... second one. Kinda._

A pulse of confusion washed through them. _What do you mean "kinda"?_

Frisk shrugged inwardly. _They... ignored me, but they didn't pretend I didn't exist either. We struggle on money, so whenever they're discussing plans to save up, they always take me into account... reluctantly._ They swallowed, and looked down at the ground, idly taking noticing of Flowey asleep on their shoulder. _I know I'm just a burden to them. They weren't ready to have a kid yet, and they were so poor and unprepared that they just... always saw me as a problem._

 _Do you blame them?_ Chara asked, genuinely curious and somewhat hopeful. _Do you hate them?_

This time, Frisk shook their head outwardly. _No... I kind of understand it. They're both still very young. We've moved a lot from homes to shelters, and I think it takes a toll of them from how much taking care of a kid costs. If I was in their shoes... I think I'd feel the same way._

Chara clicked their tongue in annoyance, and Frisk suddenly felt something against the back of their head, like someone had swatted it, but not too hard. _Bullshit. Sure, whatever, your parents are young and blah blah blah, but that doesn't give them the right to treat you that way._

Frisk looked behind them, and then rubbed the back of their head, twisting their face in confusion. _But—_

 _No_ , Chara interrupted, and they sounded angry. _Good parents are supposed to love and support their child no matter what. There's no excuses. Good parents... good parents need to make sure their child is happy and healthy, and not ignore them. Not beat them._ Then they sounded breathless. _Parents aren't supposed to beat their children..._

 _...Chara_ , Frisk said slowly, and it felt weird saying the name out loud (in their head). _Chara, are you okay?_

They didn't answer for a few moments. It was like they were trying to recollect themself. _Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine._

Frisk felt like they were lying, but they didn't question it. Instead, they scratched the back of their neck and asked, _Um... if it's not too much trouble, can you... not curse?_

_Huh? Why not?_

They chewed on their lip nervously. _It... it reminds me of my mom when she gets mad._

Chara made a small _oh_ sound, and gave off the impression of a nod. _Yeah. Alright, sure. Whatever. I might slip up, though._

_It's fine if you do it occasionally. It's just... uncomfortable._

_I get it._ Chara nodded again, assuring Frisk that it was alright. _It's fine._

Frisk swallowed down the sudden lump in their throat. _Also, um... er,_ they stammered, tugging on the hem of their sweater, their palms sweating as they felt the silent urge of Chara telling them to continue. _Since... since you've seen, well, a bunch of my memories... I was wondering if I could see one of yours. So it'll be fair..._

_...Why are you asking that like I'm going to hurt you or something?_

They bit their lip, and turned their head away despite the fact that there was nothing in front of them but a forcefield. _I... dunno. Habit._

 _Oh._ Chara hummed, and thought for a moment. _Well... I guess I can tell you about one. You want a specific context?_

Frisk shook their head, looked around at the atmosphere, and then tapped their finger against their chin. _On second thought,_ they mumbled, their face breaking out into a giant grin. _Tell me about one of the happiest memories you have!_

 _Oh my_ , Chara laughed, and made a wincing sound. _Well, hmm... lemme think about that one for a while. Hard to recall some memories when you've been dead for a while._ Despite the subject, their tone remained light and joking. _Especially when it's the bad ones that decide to stick around._

Frisk felt the impression of a grim smile, and they shuddered.

_Yeah... I guess._

 

* * *

 

_Their hands idly fumbled with the crumpled-up invitation in their jacket pocket. Their eyes anxiously watched the other children from their class laugh and shout in the arcade, as they sat alone on one of the white tables outside of it. The mall was bustling and loud, and their ears were hurting from all the noise. They kept their eyes closed to avoid drawing attention to them; sometimes people would come up and ask if they were contacts, and honestly, they just wished everyone would leave them alone._

_They weren't bored, exactly. Sure, they wished they could play a game, but nearly all of them were taken up. They didn't have any money, anyways. Their parents couldn't spare them any, obviously, and all the loose change they had only consisted of pennies._

_The girl in their class who had invited them (and everyone else in her class, due to her mother's request) was, to no surprise, hanging around with her friends at the DDR machine. She was one of the more popular ones, friends with everyone (almost everyone). Except she wasn't friends with them. Nobody was. It's not like they were mean to them, it was just an unspoken rule not to interact with them. New kids in school somehow instantly knew it. They wondered if there was some kind of rumor that they were bad or something. Or a witch, maybe, because of their eyes._

_A feminine voice called their name, unsurely. They glanced up, and blinked at the face of the girl's mother, who was giving them a small, albeit pitiful smile. There was an awkward silence between them until the woman cleared her throat and glanced to the side for a moment._

_"Er, I couldn't help but notice that you're sitting alone," she said, and gestured towards the arcade with a confused look. "Why not go play with the others?"_

_They shook their head. "I don't exist in their world," they said like it was obvious._

_The woman gave them a startled look, her jaw dropping. Maybe that wasn't the most normal thing for a 6-year old to say._

_"They don't like me," they tried, picking at their knuckles and worrying if they had made her upset. Would she ignore them too?_

_The woman's bewildered expression fell slightly, and she pursed her lips in thought. She held up a finger, reaching into her pocket with the other hand, and pulled out around eight quarters. "It's not much, but," she said softly, taking their hand and gently placing the coins into their palm, "why don't you try talking to the others? Who knows, they might like you!"_

_The others wouldn't like them. They knew that much. But they didn't want to ruin the woman's generosity, so they gave her a big smile, and said, "Thank you."_

_Except they didn't say it._

_Their mouth formed the words, but the words didn't come out. The sound was void. Surprised, they put a hand on their throat and looked up at the woman with frightened eyes. Her confused gaze shifted to worry, but they shook their head at her and smiled weakly. Then they left the table and wandered towards the arcade, not even flinching as the other children brushed by them like they didn't even exist._

_In their eyes, they didn't._

 

* * *

 

 _All these memories are hurting my head_ , Chara complained as Frisk leaned on the wall for support, another round of sudden memories reeling them backwards and taking them both by surprise. Flowey, being clueless, was very confused by it all. Frisk wasn't sure how he was feeling. They gave him a side-glance, and sighed.

 _Me too_ , they replied, sliding down the wall and pulling their knees to their chest.

 

* * *

 

_They tugged on their mother's pant leg. At first, she ignored them and continued with folding the blankets. The second time, she patted their head in a distracted attempt to get them to go away. The third time, she grunted a little and asked, "What?"_

_That wasn't the reaction they were trying to get, so they hesitantly tried a fourth time. Instead, she said the same thing louder, getting progressively more and more annoyed. The fifth time, she whirled around, her eyes blazed, and hissed out a loud, "WHAT!?"_

_Gulping and taking a step back, they shakily rose their hands and held up the notebook that read the words,_ My throat hurts.

_Their mother eyed the notebook and then their face, her eyebrows furrowed. "Take some medicine or something. I know we have some above the fridge. Quit wasting my time, I have stuff to do."_

_She began to turn away, and they let out a tiny squeak and tugged on her pant leg again. She sighed, loudly, and slammed her folded blanket on the counter as she turned to look down at them. "What is it now!?"_

_They tapped their throat again, a bit more urgently. Slipping the pencil out of their notebook's rings, they wrote down something quickly and then held it up._

_"'I can't speak'..." their mother read to herself, muttering the words and narrowing her eyes. Then she scoffed, like it was all a joke. "Bullshit. You can. Go ahead. Do it now."_

_They blanched, and shook their head furiously. Writing down more words, their mother sighed and leaned her hip against the counter as they wrote slower than she liked. She practically snapped at them to hurry up, and as they wrote quicker, their writing became more and more messier._

I'm not lying Mama I really can't talk, _the notebook read,_ When I try to talk it doesn't work and my throat hurts a lot please you have to believe me. _The next two sentences were practically unintelligible._

_Their mother pursed her lips, folding her arms and tapping her fingers against her elbow. She hummed to herself out loud, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder. Licking the inside of her bottom lip, she sighed and squatted down to their height. "Where does it hurt?" she asked, finally relenting._

_They tucked their notebook under their arm and tapped against their throat, right along their vocal cords. Their mother's hand followed, her dark fingers cold against their skin. She frowned to herself, lifting their chin not-so-gently in order to look better._

_"Well, nothing is wrong on the outside..." she muttered. "Is it sore like a cold?"_

_Again, they shook their head, and opened their notebook. They had written down some phrases to prepare for a conversation like this so their mother wouldn't scold them for taking so long, and they pointed to the passage that read_ It burns when I try to talk or make a noise.

_"Ah..." their mother said in a quiet voice. It sounded like she was thinking deeply. "Hmm... when Papa gets home I'll ask him, okay?"_

_They nodded at her offer, understanding that it was the best thing they would get out of her._

_Their mother sighed and stood up, returning to her previous work. "Now go away. I have more important stuff to do than attend to your whining."_

 

* * *

 

It hurt. It hurt a lot. So many memories were being thrown at them at once, even the ones they had stuffed deep down inside them to prevent from seeing ever again. They weren't sure if Chara could see all of them or not, but from the emotions they were radiating, Frisk assumed that they had been able to at least see the important ones.

It was unfair. Why was this place making their state of mind so weak? It was like they were leaving their body, yet when they looked at their hands, they could move and wiggle their fingers. They were still in their body, but their entire form was numb and there was goosebumps on their skin and it was like they were watching from far, far away.

Maybe this is what Chara felt like in their head.

Flowey was calling their name over and over, trying to use anything to get their attention, but they were so far gone that they felt like they were falling.

And they were.

It wasn't their memories, nor was it Chara's. Nevertheless, they were tumbling down. Far, far, far down into the black nothingness below and they were so, so scared and they wished they could scream, but. They couldn't. They couldn't make a sound.

And then it was black. But they were still conscious. They weren't sleeping. They were floating in black, hands suddenly feeling goopy and eyes wet. Their skin felt like it was almost fake, and their clothes were grey and so were their arms and legs and everything. When they looked over their shoulder, they saw a faceless Flowey, as grey as they were.

When they turned back to look in front of them, there stood a man.

He looked like a monster, but his face was horribly disfigured and his face was cracked, a black tar-like substance leaking from it and pouring out from one of his eyes. He was dressed in a black cloak, and he looked almost invisible in the nothingness surrounding them.

Frisk glanced all around them, looking for anyone else, but it was just—No. There was someone else. They narrowed their eyes, looking underneath and behind, but there was nobody they could see. When they leaned back, they felt their back touch someone else's. Jolting a bit, they let out a silent squeak and clenched their fists, feeling the person behind them do the same thing. Except when they turned around, there was nobody there, and they could always feel the person against their back.

Whoever it was, they were stuck to them.

They looked back at the man with wary eyes, and the man opened his mouth. A horrifying sound protruded from it, and Frisk slapped their hands over their ears and squeezed their eyes shut, squatting down and curling in on themself. Startled, the man suddenly closed his mouth and gave them a sheepish frown. Once Frisk picked themself up, the man's hands rose and began to move in a familiar fashion.

**_I AM SORRY FOR SCARING YOU, CHILD. I FORGOT MY SPEECH IS UNABLE TO BE INTERPRETED BY MODERN HUMAN EARS._ **

The way he signed was sloppy and chopped, even though it was obvious he was fluent in sign language. Frisk wondered if it was because of the holes that went straight through the palms of his hands, or maybe the way his body seemed to _glitch_ like a video game character every so often.

Instead of worrying about his appearance, Frisk beamed and raised their hands, **That was you talking?**

The man nodded. _**I APOLOGIZE FOR WHAT I HAD TO DO TO GET YOU HERE.**_

Frisk raised an eyebrow in confusion. **What did you do?**

 _ **I HAD TO AFFECT YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND YOURSELF, IN ORDER TO WEAKEN YOUR MIND AND STATE OF BEING ENOUGH TO LEAD YOU HERE. IT TOOK A GREAT TOLL ON YOU, EVEN LETTING SOME OF YOUR MOST DREADFUL MEMORIES LOOSE AND YOUR BODY TO DISASSOCIATE.**_ He looked sheepish. **_NONETHELESS, IT WAS FOR AN IMPERATIVE REASON._**

All the weakness and strange sensations they felt, the way their hairs rose on the back of their neck as they felt eyes watching them, the way they stumbled and shifted in and out of flashbacks—it had all been him. This man. And they didn't even know his name, or what he was.

 **What's your name?** they decided to ask, tilting their head. **What are you?**

The man appeared to take a deep breath, and his mouth parted. **_MY NAME IS W. D. GASTER. AND I AM NOTHING._**

The person standing behind Frisk was moving, and they gasped silently in surprise as they tried to step forward, only to send Frisk backwards. They struggled to keep themself grounded, but the other was relentless, and they continued to push forward, sometimes letting out nearly inaudible grunts as they scrambled to move away. No matter how hard they pushed, they were stuck to Frisk like super glue, and each movement only made Frisk more and more dizzy.

W. D. Gaster looked panicked, and he suddenly teleported closer to them. His face looked even more cracked and disfigured from up close. **_THERE IS NOT MUCH TIME, CHILD._**

Frisk looked down at their fingers. The tips of their nails were beginning to regain color.

 _ **YOU ARE BEING DECEIEVED**_ , the man signed quickly, his hand movements almost too fast to read. **_SOME OF YOUR MEMORIES HAVE BEEN ERASED, YOUR MIND MANIPULATED, YOUR BODY USED._**

Frisk frowned, taking a step back nervously. As the man continued to sign, his face was beginning to leak more and more of the weird black stuff, and it looked rather terrifying. They furrowed their eyebrows, firmly gluing their arms to their sides, and stared at him from underneath their bangs.

 ** _THE TWO YOU TRUST, YOUR COMPANIONS. WATCH THEM CAREFULLY_** , W. D. Gaster said, and he sounded breathless despite the fact that he wasn't talking at all.

He was talking about Flowey and Chara, wasn't he? Flowey and Chara. Their friends. Why would they need to watch them? Frisk's look must have conveyed all their questions without them even needing to ask him.

_**THE CHILD WHO SPEAKS INSIDE YOUR HEAD.** _

Chara.

**_THEY KNOW MORE THAN THEY LET ON._ **

Before Frisk could ask anything more, their body was suddenly hit with a wave of color and they were crashing downwards.

 

* * *

 

They woke up like it was all just a bad dream, and they were laying on the ground exactly where they had been before they started falling. Panicked, they shot upwards, causing Flowey to give a little yelp. They ignored him for a moment, choosing instead to look down at their hands.

They weren't grey. They were the usual dark shade of brown they always were. They gave a little relieved sigh, and took off the backpack and sat it in front of them to look at Flowey.

"Do you realize how worried you made me!?" he snapped, his eyes angry.

Frisk only giggled. **You were worried about me?**

It took Flowey more than a few moments to realize his words, and once he did, Frisk could see the realization slowly dawning on his face. His expression twisted in what looked like disgust, but the blush betrayed whatever message he was trying to send.

"I— _shut up!_ " he yelled, and then turned away with an annoyed huff. "You were just, _ugh_ , so out of it! Stumbling and crying and pulling at your hair." Flowey looked down at the ground where Frisk had just been laying down. "You even passed out! I couldn't get you to wake up, and you... your heart wasn't beating, so I thought you died." Then he frowned, narrowing his eyes at the same area. "But... if you had... then why didn't you...?" His voice trailed off, and he mumbled to himself for a moment.

Frisk thought back to their dream. They were 99% sure it _hadn't_ been a dream, and everything they had been feeling was all because of the man—W. D. Gaster. The name sounded familiar, and yet it didn't. It was on the tip of their tongue, and yet on the far back of it. Confusing.

He had warned them about their friends. He had said they were being lied to, and that they had been used.

Frisk frowned, and then searched their headspace for Chara. They were still there, but silent as ever. Frisk wondered if they had been there with them in the void, and then they wondered about the person trapped directly on their back.

They reached down and patted Flowey's petals. He blinked in surprise, looking up at them with wide eyes, and then his gaze hardened into something less soft than what it had just been. "What?" he muttered, glancing away from their smiling face.

Frisk just smiled brighter. **Let's head to the castle!**

As Frisk slung the backpack over their shoulders again, they swore they could hear a faint _Ugh, finally_ coming from Flowey's mouth.

 

* * *

 

Ahead of them was a large, open door. Frisk felt almost afraid to step through it. Before they did however, a sudden pang of energy washed through them. They weren't sure what it was, but it felt like they had done something. Created something. Except they couldn't see it.

The door led to a long, black corridor. The corridor led to an open room where Mettaton stood in the middle.

"OH YES. THERE YOU ARE, DARLING," he said, his voice void of emotion as he gazed upon Frisk. "IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN."

Frisk tightened their grip on the strap of their backpack, and then looked around. They wondered what kind of game show, or cooking show, or news channel they would be put on this time. As if on instinct, their hand went to grab the phone in their pocket, half-expected Alphys to call up any moment now.

"IT'S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE 'MALFUNCTIONING' ROBOT," Mettaton continued. "...NOT!"

The sudden exclamation made Flowey scoff and roll his eyes. Chara had also apparently returned, for they giggled inside their head and said, _This'll be good._

"MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL." Mettaton snickered. "THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT."

 _Isn't everything?_ supplied Chara.

"ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR A FOOL THE WHOLE TIME."

Frisk's grip on their phone lessened, and they let their hand fall out of their pocket and down to their sides. Flowey seemed much more interested in what was going on; his face was even set in a terrifying grin. Frisk glanced at him warily, and then back at Mettaton.

"AS SHE WATCHED YOU ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT. SO SHE DECIDED TO INSERT HERSELF INTO YOUR STORY. SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES. SHE DISABLED ELEVATORS. SHE ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU. ALL SO SHE COULD SAVE YOU FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST."

Alphys. It was all Alphys. She really _had_ been lying to them.

"ALL SO YOU WOULD THINK THAT SHE'S THE GREAT PERSON... THAT SHE'S NOT."

Frisk frowned. He didn't have to be so mean.

"AND NOW, IT'S TIME FOR HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM." At his words, both Frisk and Flowey turned around to glance at the corridor that led to the door (which, from this point of view, wasn't very long as they walked in). "DURING OUR 'BATTLE', SHE WILL INTERRUPT. SHE WILL PRETEND TO 'DEACTIVATE' ME, 'SAVING' YOU ONE FINAL TIME." Mettaton gave a smug huff. "FINALLY. SHE'LL BE THE HEROINE OF YOUR ADVENTURE. YOU'LL REGARD HER SO HIGHLY THAT SHE'LL EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU NOT TO LEAVE."

Was that what it was about? Why didn't anyone get it? Frisk wasn't trying to leave—they didn't even want to. But they were determined to free all monsters from the Underground, even if they weren't sure how to do it. They were sure Asgore could help in some way... hopefully.

"YOU SEE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE," Mettaton said, sounding annoyed. "I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS. FAR FROM IT, ACTUALLY. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW, DON'T THEY?"

"Here we go," Flowey sighed.

"AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW... WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?"

Suddenly there was a loud clang, followed by a knock on the door. "H-hey! Wh-wh-what's going on!?" Alphys' voice from the other side came, only proving Mettaton's words. "Th-th-the door just locked itself!"

Then there were red disco lights coming from the ceiling, surrounding Mettaton and Frisk. Mettaton raised one of his arms excitedly, the other holding a microphone to his face (or, whatever. he's a robot). "SORRY, FOLKS!" he declared with a robotic laugh. "THE OLD PROGRAM'S BEEN CANCELLED!! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!!"

The floor below them shook, and rose just slightly. Frisk didn't have the chance to react until it was raising dramatically up into the air, followed by lights all around them. They felt dizzy as Mettaton continued to exclaim and shout into the microphone, and Frisk groaned as their stomach flipped in retaliation.

"REAL ACTION!!! REAL DRAMA!!! REAL BLOODSHED!!! ON OUR NEW SHOW..." There was a dramatic pause. "'ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT'!!"

Then their soul was shifting and being ripped out of them until it hovered, and Mettaton stood there, flashing a peace sign at them. He chuckled, "YES, I WAS THE ONE WHO REARRANGED THE CORE! I WAS THE ONE THAT HIRED EVERYONE TO KILL YOU!" Then he paused. "THAT, HOWEVER, WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER?"

When Frisk didn't answer, he continued.

"KILLING YOU MYSELF!!!"

But didn't he say he had no desire to harm humans? So why them? Frisk sighed. Why was it that everyone was always trying to kill them?

 _Make a reality show about your life as a human in the Underground,_ Chara joked. _You might even get more popular than Mettaton._

 _Shut up_ , Frisk giggled back.

"LISTEN, DARLING," Mettaton said, catching Frisk's attention back. "I'VE SEEN YOU FIGHT. YOU'RE WEAK." Frisk pouted at his words. "IF YOU CONTINUE FORWARD, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL. AND WITH YOUR SOUL, ASGORE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY."

Monsters all around said that King Asgore was nice (minus the "fuzzy pushover" comment from Papyrus). Sure, he had taken other souls before, but... wasn't there _something_ Frisk could do?

"BUT IF I GET YOUR SOUL, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN!" Mettaton said. "I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION! THEN, USING YOUR SOUL, I'LL CROSS THROUGH THE BARRIER... AND BECOME THE STAR I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING!"

Their mother had wanted to be a star, an actress. But their father had always said that the industry was too difficult to even think about making it. Frisk had wanted to be a singer, in fact, but that had been horribly ruined for them.

"HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS... NO!! MILLIONS OF HUMANS WILL WATCH ME!!" Mettaton was still rambling.

Chara snorted. _Yeah, okay, millions of humans will watch a robot when he can only manage ten viewers in an underground overpopulated with monsters._

Frisk had to bite their knuckle to hide their amused smile.

"GLITZ! GLAMOUR! I'LL FINALLY HAVE IT ALL!!" Mettaton chuckled, throwing his arms in the air. "SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE? THAT'S SHOW BUSINESS, BABY!!!"

"I like his style," Flowey said, tilting his head a bit with a tiny, barely-there grin.

Then Frisk's phone began to ring, and they more than hesitantly pulled it out. "U...uh," Alphys' voice came, to no surprise, "I can't see what's going on in there, but... D-d-don't give up, okay!? Th... there's o-one l-l-last way to beat Mettaton..."

Frisk raised an eyebrow at the phone and then towards Mettaton.

"It's... um... it's..." she stammered. "This is a work-in-progress, so don't judge it too hard... But, you know how Mettaton always faces f-f-forward? That's because there's a switch on his backside. S-s-so if y-y-you can t-turn him around, um..." She sounded far too nervous, and Frisk wondered if she was okay. "And, um... press th-the switch... He'll be... he'll be, um... vulnerable."

 _Oh?_ Chara inquired, their interest piqued.

Alphys let out a small squeak. "Well, g-g-gotta go!" She hung up with a click.

Frisk put the phone back into their pocket, and then pursed their lips. They tried leaning to the side to look behind Mettaton, but there wasn't anything there. They stared at their floating soul for a moment, drinking in the brilliant crimson color, then pushed it down slightly to look at Mettaton better. The touch made their skin tickle, but they ignored it.

Flowey sighed, and tapped Frisk's shoulder with one leafy hand. "Hey, Mettaton!" he called. "There's a mirror behind you!"

"OH?? A MIRROR???" Mettaton immediately exclaimed, completely ignoring the question as to what the origin of the voice was. "RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE!" He turned around, and sure enough, there was a blatantly obvious switch on his back, complete with a label that said _Switch_ , with an arrow pointing down on it. "HMM... I DON'T SEE IT...?? WHERE IS IT?"

Frisk ran up before it was too late, and flipped the switch.

Mettaton immediately halted. "DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?"

There was a long pause before he whirled around, his hands and arms freaking out and buzzing and his dials spinning sporadically. His colored tiles began flashing and beeping and glitching out and for a moment Frisk wondered if they had broken him. They took a step back, and then the room went pitch-black and a blast of warm air sent them flying backwards.

_OH YES..._

Spotlights and steam poured in, reflecting off a silhouette of a strange person standing in a pose. Music began to play, seemingly coming from nowhere, and Frisk picked themself up as the strange person began to speak.

"Ohhh my..." he chuckled in a deep voice. "If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing... You're desperate for the premiere of my new body." Mettaton laughed breathlessly. "How rude... Lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time. So... as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. "I'll make your last living moments..."

The lights turned back on, revealing a beautiful robot standing there, his hair sleek and black and covering one of his decorated purple eyes. His body was pink and black and he was adorned with pointed, thigh-high pink boots. He gave Frisk a sly grin, and posed dramatically.

"...ABSOLUTELY beautiful!!"

 _Mettaton EX makes his premiere!_ Chara almost shouted.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shit son
> 
> the next chapter is probably the one you've all been waiting for smh thirsty animals
> 
> consider this an early birthday present for me but im giving it to you bc i wasnt supposed to update this early
> 
> early birthday present 4 days early smh february went by so fast
> 
> hit me up at my [tumblr](http://heiwagayma.tumblr.com/)


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops

Flowey's jaw dropped once Mettaton began dancing and posing to music that poured in through seemingly invisible speakers.

Frisk's eyes widened, and they glanced up to see a ratings board. The ratings were quickly decreasing, and Frisk pursed their lips in confusion. They stared at Mettaton, unsure of what to do or say.

Chara, on the other hand, was ecstatic.

 _IT'S A DANCE BATTLE TO THE DEATH_ , they declared excitedly, sounding like they were joking, yet also being absolutely serious at the same time. _DO A HEEL TURN._

 _...How do I do that_ , Frisk mumbled.

_I'll do it!_

There wasn't even any time to react to the feeling of being pushed out of your own body—although Frisk supposed they would never get used to it. They saw Flowey jostle as Chara flipped their (Frisk's) hair and turned swiftly on their heel, scoffing at the audience as if they were inferior to them. In response, the crowd went wild. Since when had there been a live studio audience? Frisk guessed that when the stage had risen, it had landed into an area filled with many monsters waiting for Mettaton's arrival—except they weren't really too sure.

There wasn't too much time to think about it now. Chara was still in control, and they had transformed Frisk's cellphone into the yellow gun and was shooting at the legs coming their direction. They ducked underneath one, lifting their feet quickly in surprise when the next came from below.

 _Are you gonna gimme control back?_ Frisk asked, metaphorically shifting when the feeling of not possessing their own body was becoming uncomfortable and too strange.

Chara shrugged, and then grinned. _Well, I mean, you don't know how to dance, and I'm guessing that's what we'll need to win this._

Frisk felt a surge of panic. _Are you trying to kill him!?_

 _No, you'd kill me_ , Chara replied nonchalantly, outwardly waving their (Frisk's) hand. _Just trust me. I'll handle this._

They didn't give Frisk time to agree or reject them before they were giving Mettaton the _come here_ motion, and then moved their hands down their side as a sign of challenge. Then they folded their arms across their chest, tilting their chin up and narrowing their eyes. Mettaton raised an eyebrow, and then gave a deep chuckle.

"Smile for the camera!!" he chirped, and then white bombs were raining down.

Chara didn't even looked fazed—they simply aimed the gun up towards the bombs and shot each one, being sure to step away from the aftermath of the explosion. After each one had been destroyed, they looked towards the camera and blew off the smoke from their gun.

Mettaton squealed in response. His show was going better than he imagined. He pretended to look at his invisible watch, and then stuck his leg up in the air. "Oooh, it's time for a pop quiz!!" he declared, and snapped his fingers. A holographic blue screen, with a keyboard underneath, appeared in front of Chara, and they took a few steps back in surprise. "This one's an essay question!!"

_What do you love most about Mettaton?_

Chara's eyebrows raised at the biased prompt, but they scoffed and shook their head and went to work.

Frisk and Flowey groaned simultaneously once Chara happily turned in their response.

_i love how mettaton is a GIANT NERD_

_Are you five!?_ Frisk gasped exasperatedly. _You're using MY BODY, you know!_

Chara just laughed silently, covering their mouth with their hand and snorting.

Mettaton looked over the essay, and then his lips curled into a frown. He simply turned off the hologram and huffed, but then quickly morphed back into his fashionista/diva mode. "Your essay showed everyone your heart," he drawled. "How about I show you mine?"

"Uh," Flowey said, leaning back. He opened his mouth, and it seemed like he wanted to say something more, but then he just sighed and shook his head before muttering out _Idiots_ and retreating back into the backpack.

Chara and Frisk watched with odd expressions as the heart chamber (that was also Mettaton's waist) slid open, and his white soul came pouring out, radiating something that looked like stage light. Chara lifted the gun hesitantly, giving the soul a wary look, and then their eyes widened when multiple bolts of electricity shot out of it, aiming towards them. They covered their torso and their face with their arms as one bolt hit them, sending them back. If anything, the rating count only went higher, gaining maybe at least +20 viewers just for violence.

Chara huffed, reaching up to wipe their mouth, and scowling at the slight blood left behind on their skin.

 _Your skin is so dark_ , Chara commented as Mettaton began to speak to the audience. _It makes it a little hard to see blood._

Frisk gave off the impression of a confused blink. _Is... that a good or bad thing?_

Chara shrugged outwardly. _Depends._

The ratings began to downsize as nothing happened, and Chara took the moment to plan their next move. Eyeing Mettaton and the crowd screaming around them, they seemed to be encouraging Mettaton's every move and pose—wait.

Posing.

Chara let out a mix between a sigh and a laugh, and then placed their gun in their back pocket. Ignoring Frisk's questions, they stepped to the side, shuffling their legs out a bit more. Then they twirled, inwardly cursing the body's lack of flexibility, and stopped as they abruptly put their hands on their hips, facing the audience. As the crowd began to cheer, they snapped their head upward, giving the monsters watching a challenging look. It only made them cheer louder, some nodding approvingly.

 _Where did you learn how to do that?_ Frisk asked in awe. _You're a natural!_

Chara grinned, and flicked their (Frisk's) hair over their shoulder as they turned back to Mettaton, who was looking almost offended at their dramatic display that could rival his. _My friend and I used to have dance contests all the time. Our parents would sometimes join in._

_That sounds like fun!_

_It was awkward as hell_ , Chara snickered, and felt a strange warmth in their chest at the memory. They were sure not to show it to Frisk, and kept the thought specifically in their mind.

Mettaton crossed his arms, taking a few steps towards Chara while deliberately placing one foot in front of the other, cocking his hip. Chara raised an eyebrow, and then turned around and scoffed at the audience as if to say _Is this guy serious?_ The action seemed to frustrate him, and Mettaton clicked his tongue. "But how are you on the dance floor?" he sang, regaining his sparkly attitude, and Chara didn't even have time to think about what he meant when suddenly a disco ball fell down above their head and multiple lasers protruded from it.

Blue and white lasers surrounded Chara, and began to spin at a fast rate. Glancing at the audience and seeing their anticipation, Chara narrowed their eyes at the disco ball and slid out of the way of the blue lasers, freezing in place in a comical pose when they were unable to dodge them. The audience's laughter and cheering only spurred them on, and when a white laser was drawing near, they shot up at the disco ball in a panic. The laser slid by them easily, now a bright blue color. Chara blinked, slowly let their hands fall back at their side, and gave Mettaton a knowing look.

The next time, it only went faster, and Chara managed to dodge everything. In the backpack, they felt Flowey jostle and groan and curse everything, including the music for being far too loud and the lights for being far too bright.

Chara watched Mettaton as he capered and twirled around the stage, dazzling the audience with his marvelous smile and boisterous laughter. They monitored his feet, watching the way his heels clacked against the ground with each skip and dance. Then they traveled their eyes up his body, until they landed on his glowing purple irises. He was watching them as they were watching him. To challenge him, they narrowed their eyes, and then threw their hands up the exact same time Mettaton did. His eyes widened slightly, barely noticeable over everything happening on stage. When he stepped to the side, Chara did too. When he took a step back, Chara took a step back.

 _Why not beat him at his own game?_ Chara chuckled, feeling Frisk's astonishment radiate through them. Was this how Frisk felt whenever Chara talked to them? It was exhilarating, yet also strange in a sense.

Mettaton looked as if he wanted to stomp his feet on the ground like a child having a temper tantrum. Instead he smiled, and clapped his hands. "Time for our union-regulated break!"

A screen on their left suddenly buzzed to life, depicting the words _HAPPY BREAKTIME!_ and glowing. Chara half-expected something to happen, but it didn't, so they took the time to check their gun and make sure it was still working. The crowd was still buzzing despite the lack of action, and the energy radiating from them was making Chara feel wired. Their adrenaline was at a full-time high. Who knew that performing would give them such a high?

But then they realized that it wasn't _them_ feeling it. It was Frisk.

 _I always wanted to be a performer,_ Frisk confessed upon Chara's unsaid questioning. _After my voice... well... um, it became kinda hard to dream that anymore._

Chara pursed their lips, tightened their grip on the gun, and took a step forward with furrowed eyebrows.

Mettaton was dancing and laughing to the music, so Chara jumped in at the chance and skidded to a stop beside him. Mettaton looked confused, but he realized what they were trying to do once they started copying his movements almost flawlessly. He turned to walk away, but Chara nudged their heard towards the audience. Mettaton stared for a long time, and then sighed. The screams and cheers of the audience spurred the two on as they worked together to twirl and spin to the tunes pouring out invisible speakers. In one daring move, Mettaton grabbed onto Chara's hands and spun them, dipping them precariously for a few moments before letting them twirl all the away around his body. Once they had stopped, they were dizzy, but managed to kick their leg up and flip backwards just as Mettaton did.

Then they danced away towards their previous place on the stage, and the ratings were growing and growing and growing.

"We've grown so distant, darling..." Mettaton said with a sigh, drawing his arms out as his heart chamber slid open again. "How about another heart-to-heart?"

Chara groaned. Their jokes were _much_ better.

They managed to swing by electric bolts, sliding on the ground and trying a method of dodging that was similar to Mettaton's dances. If the audience noticed, then they didn't care, for all they did was scream louder in response. It was hard to tell whether it was a scream of joy or terror.

Chara aimed their gun directly for his soul, and pulled the trigger. After what seemed like a million shots, there was a sudden spray of steam followed by a mechanical sound that was probably not good. Mettaton had a panicked look on his face and his eyes buzzed black as his arms quite literally popped off his body and clattered to the ground. They blinked a few times, wondering if that was a bad idea. Frisk was freaking out in their head, yelling about how they could've killed him, and Chara promptly rebutted with a matter-of-factly _But I didn't kill him, so calm down._

"A... arms?" Mettaton chuckled as he looked out at the audience's concerned faces. "Wh... who needs arms with legs like these?" To prove his point, he kicked one of his legs up in the air. The crowd just went wild.

Chara rolled their eyes.

Mettaton seemed to be getting weaker and more frustrated with every attack. With his arms gone, it looked more difficult to look tough and excited. He even looked like he was in pain. Chara studied him, and almost felt a strange sense of—regret?

Ew.

Chara took a look at the ratings, and their eyes widened. Since when had there been over nine thousand viewers? They wondered if Sans and Papyrus were any of them. To amuse themself, they flashed a grin towards the camera they were sure someone would recognize.

"Lights, camera..." Mettaton started, but then cut himself off with a huff. "Enough of this! Do you really want humanity to perish!? Or... do you just believe in yourself that much?" He sounded conflicted, and Chara chose not to acknowledge him.

 _Can I try posing?_ Frisk asked, and Chara decided to just go with it and let them take back control. It felt a little strange hanging behind after spending so long in a body and using it, but they supposed Frisk felt the complete opposite of that.

Frisk gave Mettaton and unsure look, and then struck the worst pose Chara had ever seen. The ratings even dropped by 10. They let out a loud laugh, cackling as Frisk's cheek grew dark. To hide their shame, they let Chara back into their body, and Chara gave off the impression of patting their head as they stepped in.

"How inspiring!" Mettaton declared, and he would have thrown his hands up if he had any. "Well, darling, it's either me or you!"

 _Or nobody_ , Frisk mumbled.

"But, I think we both already know who's going to win. Witness the true power of humanity's star!!!"

Chara raked their eyes up and down Mettaton's body, stopping at his broken arms, and the steam and wires poking out. They raised an eyebrow, and Mettaton just gave a huff. His eyes buzzed a bright purple, and the chamber encasing his soul slid open once more. The electricity only became more extreme, and Chara had a hard time dodging it, and they didn't even notice legs shaped like Mettaton's coming in towards them. One set hit them in the side, causing them to clatter onto the ground and Flowey to roll out of the backpack. He cursed up at Mettaton, glowering at the cameras, and crawled into Chara's open arms. They managed to skid past another set of legs, having just enough time to open the backpack and drop Flowey in there. He took one look at their eyes and his own widened into a terrified look, but they didn't manage to catch the rest of it for they closed the backpack and started running for Mettaton's soul.

They threw their arm out, shooting the best they could and dodging the next bolt of electricity. He really _was_ trying to kill them (and Frisk), but he didn't know a thing.

Then they managed to get a good shot and Mettaton was groaning again. His legs burst off his body, and flew out into the crowd where a multitude of monsters began fighting for it.

Mettaton fell onto his back, eyes wide. Frisk's concern was so great that the emotion forced them out of their body, and Chara was shoved back into the place where they rightfully belonged.

Frisk ran up to Mettaton, panicked, and knelt beside him. He gave them a dazzling, although unsure, smile as Frisk lifted his almost weightless body up. Mettaton looked up at the ratings board, and his entire face lit up.

"Ooh, look at these ratings!!!" he gasped, a large smile settling on his face. "This is the most viewers I've ever had!!!" He sounded enlivened, completely tuning out the fact that his limbs were gone, and Frisk wanted to cry.

Mettaton, however, was elated. "We've reached the viewer call-in milestone!! One lucky viewer will have the chance to talk to me... before I leave the Underground forever!!!" The audience let out an audible gasp. "Let's see who calls in first!!"

There was an almost blinding number of calls, but the very first was chosen, and the line clicked.

"Hi, you're on TV!" Mettaton said, and he would've waved at the camera if he could. Instead, he gave it a brilliant smile. "What do you have to say on this, our last show?"

The person on the other line was silent for a few moments. "oh... hi... mettaton..." Frisk's eyes widened in realization, and Mettaton's mouth parted like he wanted to say something. "i really liked watching your show..." Napstablook continued, and they sounded almost happy. "my life is pretty boring... but... seeing you on the screen... brought excitement to my life... vicariously."

Frisk looked over at Mettaton. He was biting his lip, his eyes shifting. He looked... guilty.

"i can't tell, but... i guess this is the last episode...? i'll miss you... mettaton..." At their words, Mettaton closed his eyes and hung his head forward. "oh... i didn't mean to talk so long... oh..."

"No, wait!! W-Wait, Bl..." Mettaton tried, looking panicked, but it was too late. "H... They hung up already." He swallowed, averting his eyes, and then gave a weary smile towards the camera. "I'll take another caller!!!"

Then one by one multiple calls began to come through.

"Mettaton, your show made us so happy!"

"Mettaton, I don't know what I'll watch without you!!!"

"Mettaton, there's a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart."

Said robot was speechless. Frisk could feel his body heating up and whirring, and they propped him up so he could face the cameras and audience better. "I... ah..." he stammered. Then he smiled. "I see... Everyone. Thank you so much." He chuckled, and then turned over to look at Frisk with a softer smile than before. "Darling. Perhaps... it might be better if I stay here for a while. Humans already have stars and idols, but monsters... they only have me."

He looked oddly smug for someone in his position, and Flowey scoffed from his place poking his face out of the backpack.

"If I left... the Underground would lose its spark," he continued. "I'd leave an aching void that can never be filled. So... I think I'll have to delay my big debut." His smile grew. "Besides... you've proven to be very strong. Perhaps even strong enough to get past Asgore. I'm sure you'll be able to protect humanity." Frisk's hands twitched, urging to speak. "Haha... it's all for the best, anyway."

He frowned.

"The truth is, this form's energy consumption is... inefficient. In a few moments, I'll run out of battery power, and..." His voice trailed off, and now Frisk really felt like crying. "I'll be alright," he said, after seeing their expression. He gave them a wicked smirk. "Knock 'em dead, darling!" He then turned to the audience, and sighed happily. "And everyone... thank you. You've been a great audience!!"

The stage began to collapse as Mettaton fell lifelessly out of Frisk's hands, and they reached to grab him as they fell. The stage landed back to where Frisk had previously met Mettaton, and they let out a soft breath. The door they had come in through clicked, and Alphys' unsteady voice broke through the silence, "I... I managed to open the lock! Are you two..."

She rushed in, looking sweaty, and her voice immediately cut off once she saw Frisk holding onto a powerless Mettaton. Her face fell, and her eyes widened. "Oh my god," she breathed out, falling to her knees beside the robot, and Frisk quickly got out of her way. "Mettaton! Mettaton, are you..." She gulped, and began checking all around him, and then fumbled with his back for a few moments before letting out a sigh and burying her face into her hands. "Thank GOD, it's just the batteries." She looked back at her fallen friend. "Mettaton, if you were gone, I would have... I would have..."

She stopped.

"I m-mean, h-hey, it's n-no problem, you know?" she laughed nervously. "He's just a robot, if you messed it up, I c-could always... j-just build another." She noticeable averted her eyes, and Frisk narrowed theirs. "Why don't you go on ahead?" she said, coughing into her fist.

When Frisk tried to approach her, she shook them off. "I... I just need a moment."

Frisk bit the inside of their cheek, and then withdrew their arm. They nodded, and set off down the hallway.

 

* * *

 

Frisk walked down the hallway of the Core for a while, until they felt a presence behind them. It was different from the ones from before, and they turned their head to see Alphys shakily walking up to them.

"S... Sorry about that!" she said, and Frisk wished they could tell her she didn't have to apologize. As they walked along ahead together, Alphys stammered out, "S-so you're about to meet Asgore, h-huh? You must be... y-you must be... pr-pretty excited about all that, huh?"

Frisk shrugged. If anything, they were a bit scared. The king had killed humans before and taken their souls; why were _they_ any different? They only hoped they would be able to convince him not to kill them.

"Y-you'll f-finally..." Alphys laughed. "You'll finally get to go home!"

 _Home_. The word made them feel sick to their stomach.

They had reached the elevator. Glancing behind them, Frisk took a deep breath and pressed the button. When the elevator slid open, Alphys let out a tiny gasp.

"W-Wait!" she shouted, and they turned around, startled. "I-I mean," Alphys said, looking embarrassed, "I... um... I was just going to... uh... say goodbye, and..." She looked conflicted, and with each passing moment her nervous smile fell and fell and dropped into a sad frown. She turned away from them, firmly tucking her arms over her chest. "I can't take this anymore." She turned their back to them, clasping her hands in front of her. "I... I lied to you."

Even though they had been notified of it earlier, the confession hit them like a ton of bricks.

"A human soul isn't strong enough to cross the barrier alone," Alphys continued. "It takes at least a human soul... and a monster soul. If you want to go home... you'll have to take his soul. You'll have to kill Asgore."

She began to walk away, her shoulders trembling.

"I'm sorry."

Then she ran away.

All the air seemed to leave Frisk's body. They were speechless, mouth opening and closing like they wanted to say something even though they knew they couldn't. They wanted to call out to her, bring her back, tell her everything was okay. And yet when they opened their mouth and tried to scream, all that came was a strangled breath. The action made their throat burn, and they threw a hand to their neck as tears burned the corners of their eyes.

Did they really have to _kill_ the king?

Flowey either didn't notice their distress, or he did but he just didn't care. He popped out of the backpack, nudging the back of Frisk's head towards the open elevator and urging them. "C'mon, C—Frisk," he sighed. "We're almost to the castle. Practically there, really."

Frisk looked towards the elevator. If they went through, they would have to fight Asgore. If they went through, they would have to kill the king.

Images of red and blue flashed before their eyes.

"Frisk!" Flowey snapped, and Frisk flinched.

They obediently took a step inside the elevator, but then stopped as the first foot went in. They glanced back towards the hall where Alphys just ran away. Chara sounded conflicted in their head, although maybe that was just their own feelings. Their stomach twisted as Flowey gave an impatient sigh.

So, without hesitation, they shoved Flowey into the backpack, closed it up, and darted down the hallway after Alphys. Flowey's muffled protests and the closing of the elevator doors went ignored behind them.

 

* * *

 

After Alphys was nowhere to be found in her lab, Frisk went to Snowdin in a panic, hoping that maybe Undyne would somehow know. The two were close, they figured, so maybe Alphys had confided in her somehow.

When Undyne saw Frisk's wide-eyed look, she stared and knelt down in front of them. "Whoa, kid, you okay?" she asked, tilting her head.

Frisk balled their hands into fists, frustrated, and then slapped them against their sides. They nodded, hanging their head, useless to do anything except flail and hope she would understand.

Undyne drilled her fingers against her knee, and then stood nervously. Papyrus turned to her, giving her a look, and then, oddly, Undyne began to sweat. She looked down at Frisk, and then averted her eyes. "Um, so, I have a favor to ask you," she started, coughing to get rid of the way her voice suddenly went high-pitched. "Umm... I... I need you to deliver this letter. To Dr. Alphys."

Frisk immediately perked up. But then they tilted their head, giving her a confused look. Holding up their hands, they made one flat and the other into a fist and knocked on the flat hand, as if to signify someone knocking on a door.

"Huh!? Why don't I deliver it myself...?" Undyne muttered, and then turned away. She got a weird, goofy smile on her face as her cheeks flushed. "...um... w-well... I-it's kind of personal, but we're friends... so... I-I'll tell you." Frisk leaned in, but all they received as an explanation was a loud yell. "Hotland SUUUUUUCKS!!!! I don't wanna go there!!!! So here you go."

Undyne smiled as she dropped the letter into Frisk's open hands. They nearly dropped it, but managed to keep it upright as they looked at the front. There were creases and bents everywhere, as well as scribbles on the sides. It had been clumsily closed, but it reeked of Undyne. They looked up at Undyne, nodded, and quickly rushed over towards the Riverperson to get to Hotland.

 

* * *

 

The door to Alphys' lab had no mail slot, so Frisk slid the letter underneath the door and gave it a knock.

There were faint footsteps coming from inside, followed by a barely audible gasp. "O-oh n-no, is that another letter...?" came Alphys' alarmed voice. "I don't want to open it... C-can't I just slide it back out...?" There was a silence, followed by a firm huff. "N... no... I can't keep doing this. I'll read this one." There was the sound of paper shuffling, and then Alphys gave a tiny, nervous laugh. "Um... i-it's shut kind of strongly, isn't it?"

Then there was a ripping sound, and a few more moments of silence. Frisk took a few steps back once they heard the gasp of realization, and then the sound of the lab door being slid open.

"Hey, if this is a joke, it's..." said Alphys as she walked out, looking down at the letter with a flushed face and shaking her head. She cut herself off once she looked up at Frisk, and her eyes widened comically. "Oh my God? Did YOU write this letter?" She didn't even give them time to respond before she was sweating and laughing. "It wasn't signed, so, I had no idea who could have..." She blanched. "Oh my god. Oh no. That's adorable... And I h-had no idea you, um, wrote that way!"

 _Can you even write?_ Chara asked, and even though Frisk knew they were teasing, they got defensive anyways.

_Yes I can! I'm nine! I can read AND write._

Chara snickered.

Alphys glanced downwards. "It's surprising, too... after all the gross stuff I did... I don't really deserve to be forgiven." Frisk frowned, wanting to reach out and hug her. "Much less, um, this...? And so passionately, too..."

 _I'm confused. What exactly is "this"? What is passionate?_ Chara scoffed, giving off the impression of throwing their hands up in the air in exasperation. _Enough of the mind games!_

 _Like you can talk_ , Frisk replied, and then eyed the letter. _I don't really know what it says on there._

Alphys pursed her lips, shifting her weight back and forth. Her hands tightened on the letter, and then she nodded once. Giving Frisk a focused stare, she smiled. "You know what, okay! I'll do it! It's the least I can do to make it up to you!"

_But do WHAT!?_

"Y-yeah! Let's go on a date!"

_Oh my GOD UNDYNE._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry for the delay and shortness on this chapter o mg ive been sick and busy with a lot of stuff
> 
> next chapter: the alphys date (and possibly more surprises)
> 
> scream at me abt chara and frisk on [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YIKES im sorry this took so long

Alphys had taken them to the garbage dump, after a few awkward minutes of picking out what to wear and digging through items to give. But she finally settled onto a cute, polka-dotted dress, and finally (after a strange question in whether they liked anime or not; they had said yes), they had made it to the dump.

Flowey was grumbling, his head just barely peeking out of the bag so he could complain and moan about how long it was taking, and how Frisk should have taken the elevator up when they had the chance. Frisk just ignored him, reaching back to gently touch his petals reassuringly (but he had backed away from the touch before he even received it), silently telling him they'll get there soon.

"Here we are!" Alphys exclaimed nervously, gesturing towards the large expanse of trash. She let go of Frisk's hand, her face going red. "This is where Undyne and I come all the time... We find all sorts of great stuff here." Her redness had died down and was now settling on a light pink. "Heh, she's really..." She stopped. "Uh..."

Chara sighed. _It's pretty obvious those two are just dancing around each other_ , they muttered, huffing behind their words. _Undyne wrote the actual letter, right? Why didn't you tell her?_

Frisk glanced around awkwardly, and then tapped their fingers against their neck when Alphys wasn't looking.

Chara made an _oh_ sound. _Well, there's got to be paper or some shit around here, right? A whiteboard? Something!?_

 _I don't see anything_ , Frisk replied, frowning. _I guess I'll have to play charades._

 _Oh boy._ _Wait, is that_ —

"Oh no," Alphys unknowingly interrupted. "That's her over there." She pointed, face breaking out into a sweat. When Frisk followed her gaze, sure enough, there was Undyne—dressed in a surprisingly casual set of clothes. "I c-can't let her see me on a date with you!" Alphys nearly shouted, covering her eyes, and Frisk felt disappointed; even though they knew why.

"Oh no, here she comes!!" In a panic, Alphys threw herself behind a nearby trash can, leaving Frisk alone to stand there.

Flowey ducked down a little as Undyne ran up, looking frantic.

"Hey! There you are!!!" Undyne yelled, clenching her fists. "I, uh, realized that if you deliver that thing... it might be a bad idea."

"Yikes," Flowey murmured.

"So I'm gonna do it!" Undyne grinned, looking almost mad. "Give it to me!"

Frisk bit their lip, and shrugged. They held out their open, empty palms sheepishly.

Undyne's eye widened in realization. "Huh!? You don't have it!?" she shouted, and when Frisk shook their head, she growled out a, "Ngaaaaaaaahhhh!!! Have you at least seen her!?"

Frisk's eyes shifted to behind the trash can, where they could see Alphys faintly shaking and hear her whispering to herself. They glanced back up at Undyne, and nodded slowly.

"Yes?" Undyne breathed. "So she's somewhere around here..." She nodded once, clenching her fist in front of her chest. "Thanks. I'll keep looking."

Once she was out of sight, Alphys slowly crept out from behind the trash can, face red as roses. "Oh my god..." she whispered slowly, mostly to herself. "W...well, I guess it's obvious, huh?" She laughed nervously, scratching her ear. "I... uh... I really like her."

"Ooh, big surprise," Flowey drawled sarcastically. "Please, everyone could tell the moment you met her."

Frisk covered their mouth with their hand, giggling silently.

"I'm sorry," Alphys apologized, frowning. "I j-just figured, y-you know... It'd be f-fun to go on like, a cute, kind of... pretend date with you? To make you feel better?" She sounded unsure, and then her awkward smile formed into a deeper frown than before. "Well, it sounds even worse when I put it like that. I'm sorry. I messed up again..."

Frisk shook their head to assure that she was fine, but she wasn't paying attention to their face.

"Undyne's the person I, um... really want to go on a date with."

_We know, Alphys._

"But, I mean... She's way out of my league!"

_Oh, man, if only you knew._

"N-not that you aren't, um, cool! B-but, Undyne... she's so confident... and strong... and funny. And I'm just a nobody. A fraud."

_Frisk, we need to do something right now._

"I'm the royal scientist, but... all I've ever done is hurt people."

There was a growl from Flowey, followed by angry shuffling from the bag. All of a sudden, things felt lighter, but Frisk didn't bother to check what it was. They could feel something like vines on their arm, and just figured Flowey was trying to make himself more comfortable. They didn't mind one bit.

"I've told her so many lies, she thinks I'm..." Alphys continued, oblivious to the fact that she was rambling. "...she thinks I'm a lot cooler than I actually am. If she gets close to me, she'll... find out the truth about me." She stopped suddenly, staring at the ground. "What should I do?"

She was waiting for an answer. Frisk opened their mouth, glanced around awkwardly. They cleared their throat, catching Alphys' attention, and then mouthed _Tell her the truth_ as best they could so she could understand them.

 _I'd keep lying, but whatever_ , Chara supplied unhelpfully.

Alphys' eyes went wide in response. "The truth...?" she murmured breathlessly. "But if I tell her that, she'll hate me!" She put both of her hands on her face. "Isn't it better this way? To live a lie where both people are happy... or a truth where neither of us are?"

Frisk took a step forward cautiously. They weren't sure of what to do.

"They say to be yourself... But I don't really like who 'myself' is."

Chara was suddenly silent, as was Flowey. Frisk bit their lip, glancing around. They felt Flowey slip back into the backpack, and acknowledged it idly in their mind. They tried reaching out to Chara, but it was like they weren't even there.

"I'd rather just be whatever makes people like me." Alphys laughed weakly, giving Frisk a gentle, broken smile. After a few moments, it began to drop and fade slowly, and she sighed. "No, you're right. Every day I'm scared... scared of what will happen if people learn the truth on their own. They'll all get hurt because of me." Her eyes went wide and her face went pink. "But how can I tell UNDYNE the tr... truth!? I d-don't have the confidence... I'm going to mess it up!! How can I practice!?"

 _Roleplay, obviously_ , Chara scoffed like it was a stupid question. Frisk inwardly gave them a strange look, but shrugged and mouthed the words to Alphys anyhow.

"R... roleplay?" Alphys mumbled. "...That actually sounds kind of fun! Okay, which one of us will be Undyne?"

Just as Frisk was about to mouth that _they_ would be Undyne, Chara suddenly butted into control and mouthed _You'll be Undyne!_ excitedly. Once Alphys made a startled sound in response, Frisk's eyes widened and they huffed once they felt the impression of a smug smirk.

 _I'm just making things more interesting_ , they offered as an explanation, and Frisk rolled their eyes.

Alphys broke off into a stammer. "I'll say what I think she'd say, and you... um... you show me what I'm supposed to do!" She cleared her throat, breaking out into a nervous sweat. "Ngaahhh!!! Hey, Alphys! You look cute today! Which I say often! But platonically because I would NEVER like you!!"

Frisk could feel Chara slapping their palm against their forehead in exasperation. They could also feel them trying to seize control—to probably say another ridiculous thing—but Frisk held them back and managed to mouth _Hi Undyne! Can we talk?_ despite Chara's constant pushing.

"Talk, to you? Hmm..." Alphys said, still unbreaking in character. "I guess so. I often seem excited to listen to you for some reason. I will make intent eye contact with you so you sweat while you talk."

Chara and Flowey groaned in unison.

"So, what is it?"

Frisk thought about what to say for a moment, tapping their chin. Then they decided to just tell "Undyne" the truth and went for it, but then Chara grabbed control when Frisk wasn't thinking about it and jumped forward, lips puckered obnoxiously. _Alphys gives u a kiss_ , they mouthed, trying to keep themself from laughing in the middle of it.

Alphys jumped back in shock. "WH-WHAT!? I WOULD NEVER... Alphys! What are you d-doing!" Her entire face was red as just the thought of it. "I s-say, pushing you away from me... You sh-shouldn't k-kiss me...!" Alphys paused for a moment, glancing between the ground and Frisk nervously. Her hands were shaking. "B-but, y-you're so good at it... B-b-b-because of what you learned from th-those d-d-dating video games... I... I c-can't help but k-k-kiss you back..."

Chara was cackling, and Frisk sighed, but then suddenly Alphys jerked upwards and threw her hands over her face, shaking rapidly. "NGAHHHHH!!! NGAAAHHHH!!! I'M UNDYNE AND I'M PILING ON THE SMOOCHES!!!"

Undyne suddenly appeared, face pinched into a confused and almost disturbed expression. "WHAT did you just say?"

Alphys went white, leaning back. "U... Undyne! I... was... just..."

"Hey, whoa, wait a second!" Undyne interrupted, eye suddenly sparkling as she rested her gaze on Alphys' dress. "Your outfit's really cute! What's the occasion?" Undyne glanced between Frisk and Alphys, and then narrowed her eye. "Wait a second. Are you two... on a date?"

 _Our cover's been blown_ , Chara said in a strangely deep voice, like they were roleplaying as a soldier. Frisk snorted.

"UHH, YES!!!" Alphys replied instantly, and then recoiled at Undyne's menacing grin towards Frisk. "I mean, UHH NO!!! I mean, we were, but—I mean, actually we were only romantically roleplaying as you—"

_Smooth._

"WHAT??"

"I MEAN!" Alphys yelled, trying to keep herself grounded. "I mean... I... Undyne, I've been lying to you."

Undyne jolted. "WHAT?? ABOUT WHAT???"

"About... well... everything!" Alphys managed, taking a deep breath. She stepped forward, tripping over her words and struggling to get what she wanted to say out. "I told you that seaweed was like... scientifically important. Really, I just... use it to make ice cream! And those human history books I keep reading, those are just dorky comic books! And the history movies... those... those are just, uh, anime! They aren't real! And that time I told you I was busy with work on the phone, I was just eating frozen yogurt in my pajamas! That time I—"

"Alphys."

Now the two girls were extremely close. "I... just wanted to impress you. I just wanted you to think I was smart and cool. That I wasn't some... nerdy loser."

Undyne leaned down slightly, putting her hand on Alphys' head. "Alphys," she tried again, but Alphys just kept going.

"Undyne, I... I really think you're neat, okay..."

Undyne was kneeling down, her arms wrapped around the other and stroking her back soothingly. "Alphys. Shh. Shhh." There was a pause, and then suddenly Undyne lifted Alphys up effortlessly, drawing a strangled, surprised squeak from the smaller girl. She threw her up into the air, and then Alphys came crashing down into the trash can (which, oddly enough, opened and closed once she came down and fell in).

Chara burst into laughter.

"Alphys!" Undyne shouted, and then glanced off to the side nervously. "I... think you're neat, too, I guess. But, you've gotta realize... most of what you really doesn't matter of me. I don't care if you're watching kid cartoons or reading history books. To me, ALL of that stuff is just NERDY CRAP!! What I like about you is that you're PASSIONATE!! You're ANALYTICAL!!!"

Flowey sighed. "How long is this going to take?"

"It doesn't matter what it is!!" Undyne continued, and to any random passerby, it would just look like she was shouting passionately at a trashcan. "YOU CARE ABOUT IT!! 100-PERCENT!! AT MAXIMUM POWER!!!" She took a deep breath. "...so, you don't have to lie to me." Her gaze was soft now. "I don't want you to have to lie to anyone anymore. Alphys... I want to help you become happy with who you are! And I know just the training you need to do that!"

 _This is pretty gay_ , Chara snorted, and Frisk just rolled their eyes.

Alphys lifted her head, the lid of the trashcan opening just enough to show her eyes. "Undyne... you..." she whispered in disbelief, and then Frisk could actually see the amazed blush on her face. "Y-you're gonna train me...?"

Undyne scoffed, giving Alphys a weird look. "Pfft, what? ME?" she asked, like it was obvious.

Suddenly, from behind the piles of trash, Papyrus emerged with one hand in the air and one on his hip.

"Nah, I'm gonna get Papyrus to do it."

Papyrus leaped from the trash, and landed excitedly in front of the trashcan. He pointed towards Alphys determinedly, who was sporting a disappointed, deadpanned expression. "GET THOSE BONES SHAKIN'! IT'S TIME TO JOG 100 LAPS, HOOTIN' ABOUT HOW GREAT WE ARE!"

 _Holy shit_ , Chara said, sounding like they wanted to laugh.

 _Swear!_ Frisk protested. The noise Chara made in response didn't sound apologetic whatsoever.

Undyne grinned. "Ready? I'm about to start the timer."

"U-Undyne..." Alphys stammered, and then sunk further into the trashcan. "I'll do my best...!" Frisk watched as Papyrus pushed her away, yelling something about him being great and her needing to learn how to be great.

Once she was gone, Undyne's face immediately went into shock. "OH MY GOD!!!" she yelled, and then switched to an expression of nervous concern. "She was kidding, right!? Those cartoons... those comics... Those are still REAL, right!?" She stomped up to Frisk, grabbing their shoulders and practically shaking them. "ANIME'S REAL, RIGHT!?"

Once the initial dizziness wore off, Frisk groaned and gave her a weary expression. Then they nodded, not wanting to see her reaction to learning that anime was, in fact, _fictional_ , and not real whatsoever (except they had only seen about one anime—when they were very young; it just happened to be on TV).

"HA HA HA!!" Undyne cackled, and pumped her fists excitedly. "I KNEW IT!! GIGANTIC SWORDS! MAGICAL PRINCESSES!!! HERE I COME!!!" After a long moment of silence, Undyne took a few deep breaths, and then knelt down to Frisk's level. "Uh, thanks for taking care of Alphys. I didn't get to say what I wanted to, but..." She smiled softly. "Things seem like they're going to get better for her."

She jumped up, giving Frisk a light, affectionate pat on the head, and then nudged her head in the direction where Alphys and Papyrus just left. "Well, I gotta go catch up with them! Later!"

She ran off, leaving Frisk behind.

"Ugh," Flowey groaned from beside Frisk, finally letting himself loose from the backpack. "That was the most boring experience of my life." He paused. "Well, maybe not the _most_ boring."

 _What a dick_ , Chara scoffed, referring to Flowey. _Hated him from the start._

 _Huh?_ Frisk gasped, alarmed. _Why do you hate him?_

 _Eh_. Chara gave off the impression of a shrug, followed by a scowl. _I don't believe he's the person he used to be._ Their voice got quieter as they growled out, _There's no way he's him._

_Who?_

When Chara didn't reply, Frisk guessed they had stepped too far. They apologized, but Chara refused to say a word.

"Let's just keep going," Flowey said, settling himself in the crook of Frisk's neck tiredly. "We've wasted enough time as it is."

 

* * *

 

"HOWDY!" Papyrus' voice yelled through the phone. "IF IT ISN'T MY GOOD FRIEND, WHO TRUSTS ME. THIS IS PAPYRUS, YOUR ALSO MUTUAL FRIEND. ALPHYS AND I FINISHED OUR TRAINING EARLY. VERY EARLY. SO I SENT HER HOME. VERY HOME. UH... NOW. I FEEL STRONGLY AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON. YOU SHOULD ALSO GO... THERE. TO HER. LAB... HOUSE. I HAVE ONLY GOOD FEELINGS ABOUT THIS. GOODBYE."

Frisk looked at their phone in confusion, and then placed it into their pocket.

_Well, if that wasn't sketchy as hell, I don't know what is._

Frisk couldn't help but agree with Chara. As they walked forth, all intentions set on Alphys' lab, their backpack suddenly became lighter, and it was like there was a presence missing from them.

They ignored it.

 

* * *

 

Alphys' lab was completely void of, well, Alphys.

All that was left of her was a note on the ground. When Frisk walked up to it, the "bathroom" door that had been previously locked suddenly slid open, startling them and causing them to jolt backwards.

Frisk looked down at the note. The handwriting was hard to read, but they tried their best.

_Hey. Thanks for your help back there. You guys... Your support really means a lot to me._

_But... as difficult as it is to say this... You guys alone can't magically make my own problems go away._

_I want to be a better person. I don't want to be afraid anymore. And for that to happen, I have to be able to face my own mistakes._

_I'm going to start doing that now._

_I want to be clear. This isn't anyone else's problem but mine. But if you don't ever hear from me again... if you want to know "the truth."_

_Enter the door to the north of this note. You all at least deserve to know what I did._

Frisk's body was still. They slowly let the note fall from their hands, and then looked up at the open door. It seemed dark inside, and they weren't sure what to expect. From the sounds of it, neither was Chara.

They stepped inside, taking note of the elevator. The buttons were almost too high for them to reach, but they managed anyway. There were only two floors on the pad—the current floor and something that was scratched out with black marker. They clicked it, and then flinched as the elevator doors slid closed with a loud thump.

The elevator began moving, and Frisk's stomach was beginning to hurt. As they felt themself descending lower, the pain only grew. Suddenly, there was a jolt that nearly sent Frisk tumbling to the ground, and a robotic voice came through the speakers in the elevator.

_WARNING! WARNING! ELEVATOR LOSING POWER! EM TETHER STABILITY LOST!_

_Chara!?_ Frisk shouted, scared and unsure. Chara felt just as frightened as they were.

_ALTITUDE DROPPING!_

The shaking of the elevator was making Frisk dizzy and their vision blurry. They stumbled, struggling to stay on their feet. Then, it was like the elevator car crashed into the floor with a loud noise, the lights went off, and Frisk's world went black.

 

* * *

 

_"...Do we really have to do this? Isn't there a better way?"_

_They were asleep in their father's arms, oblivious to their parents' muttering to one another. In their dreams, it was cold, and dark. They stirred once their father adjusted his grip on them._

_"No. If we really want to be stable, we have to," their father said, leaning in to whisper into their mother's ear._

_Their mother bit her lip, making a tiny distressed groan. "But..." Her voice trailed off, and she tapped her fingers against her chin in thought. "We could just... give 'em to your sister or somethin'."_

_"My sister doesn't want kids just as much as us."_

_Their parents trekked further up the mountain, their father struggling to keep a good hold on them as he stepped over rocks. They were taking the unconventional way, not wanting to risk being seen while taking the normal path. Even though hardly anyone came through the mountain's trail, it was better being safe than sorry._

_After a near stumble, their father groaned and they shifted in his arms. He maneuvered them so they were propped on his hip, face buried in his chest and arms splayed over his shoulders. Their mother offered countless times to carry them, but their father had shoved her away, claiming he could handle it._

_"There's the top," he said breathlessly, kicking away a rock as he climbed over a fallen tree. "That's where they say the hole is."_

_"What if it isn't there?" their mother hissed, crossing her arms._

_"It's there," he assured, and then paused. "If it isn't, we could just leave 'em sleeping there."_

_"...I guess," their mother said. She hugged herself, rubbing her bare arms with her cold hands. "I feel strange. This doesn't feel right."_

_"Hell," their father almost laughed, looking exasperated, "does anything feel right to you!?" His voice was raising, momentarily forgetting about the sleeping child in his arms. "We never deserved this; this was never meant to happen!"_

_Their mother took a step back, but didn't protest. She gulped, hanging her head, her eyes lingering on the small child sleeping soundly._

_"Don't you want money to spend?" their father gasped, lifting them up higher. "Aren't you tired of living on the streets, struggling every day and worrying about what we're gonna eat!?"_

_They were reaching the top. Their mother let out a tiny, "...Yes."_

_Their father disappeared suddenly. Following swiftly, their mother pushed aside bushes to see their father standing over a giant hole surrounded by trees and flowers. She stepped forward cautiously, eyes wide. It was true._

_"Don't you want to finally be able to go back to school? And graduate?" His back was turned to her._

_She swallowed down the lump in her throat. "Yes. More than anything."_

_"Then we have to," their father whispered once she stepped beside him. He turned towards her, blue eyes dark. "It'll make things easier for the both of us."_

_Their mother took a deep breath, leaning forward slightly to peer inside the hole. It was black, and she couldn't see a thing._

_"We're committing murder," she murmured uneasily. She sounded like she was about to vomit._

_"Not if nobody finds out." His tone was scary._

_He turned to face her, and then held out the small child in his hands. She gasped softly, taking a step back, but once she saw the forceful gaze in his eyes, she submissively took them into her arms, and turned towards the hole. Their father stepped back, watching as she held them out over the endless abyss below._

_Then their eyes opened, for they had been awake nearly the entire time._

_Their mother's breath caught in their throat, hands shaking. Her eyes were glassy, knees weak. She looked pale, like she was going to fall over. "I..." she whispered, staring hard into her child's dual-colored eyes, and drinking in the sorrow and betrayal in them. "I can't..."_

_"Oh, for fuck's sake." All of a sudden, their father took hold of their mother's hands, forcing her fingers away. He gave them a hard stare, void of compassion. It was the last thing they saw before they fell._

_The last thing they heard was their mother's shrill cry of their name._

 

* * *

 

When they opened their eyes, the elevator was dark. There was a faint light pouring in through the opened doors.

Climbing up from the dirty floor, Frisk brushed themself off and smoothed out their hair. They felt pain on their legs and knew bruises would appear later, and moved their backpack until it was resting comfortably on their shoulders.

 _You okay?_ Chara asked. Their tone was odd.

Frisk nodded outwardly, and stepped out of the elevator.

The area was dark and thoroughly decrepit., with little light that made it just barely visible. The walls were stained and cracked, and the floor tiles were dirty and loose. Frisk hesitantly stepped on them, walking down the nearby hall. They nearly tripped over one unsteady tile, and then their eyes caught a set of panels lining up down the hallway.

When they walked near the first one, it lit up with green text.

_ENTRY NUMBER 1_

_This is it... Time to do what the king has asked me to do. I will create the power to free us all._

_I will unleash the power of the soul._

Were these entries made by Alphys? It would make sense, since the place was apparently directly underneath Alphys' lab. What _was_ this place anyway? Frisk hoped the next panel would provide them with answers as they strode up towards it.

_ENTRY NUMBER 2_

_The barrier is locked by soul power... Unfortunately, this power cannot be recreated artificially. Soul power can only be derived from what was once living._

_So, to create more, we will have to use what we have now... The souls of monsters._

Well, that didn't help.

Frisk walked up to the next one, hands sweating and throat feeling strangely tight.

_ENTRY NUMBER 3_

_But extracting a soul from a living monster would require incredible power... Besides being impractical, doing so would instantly destroy the soul's host. And, unlike the persistent souls of humans... The souls of most monsters disappear immediately upon death._

_If only I could make a monster's soul last..._

The fourth entry was completely missing, and the next panel skipped to the fifth.

_ENTRY NUMBER 5_

_I've done it. Using the blueprints, I've extracted it from the human souls. I believe this is what gives their souls the strength to persist after death._

_The will to keep living... The resolve to change fate._

_Let's call this power... "Determination"._

They stopped, tightening their grip on the straps on their backpack. All of this... persisting after death, souls, Determination... it was something they never knew before. Fighting like this, experiencing pain like this. Magic, monsters, the Underground.

All of it had been hidden from the surface. Scrubbed out. Erased.

Suddenly, they weren't feeling so determined anymore.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter: true lab ft. a lot of crazy shit
> 
> i wanna take a moment 2 promote my new undertale fic, [sanguine](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6205666/chapters/14216494). basically it's an au where chara is royalty and they run away b/c they're, well, chara. mental problems and stuff, plus issues with their family. i'm pretty excited about it and i hope you'll give it a chance!
> 
> anyways, i hope you enjoyed this chapter! smh hopefully the next one won't take so long
> 
> (hmu on [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/) for Quality memes)


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: abt to update  
> me: realizes its april fools

The elevator was broken—they had to go to the left just to get anywhere.

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 6_

_Asgore asked everyone outside the city for monsters that had "fallen down."_ _Their bodies came in today._

_They're still comatose... and soon, they'll all turn into dust._

_But what happens if I inject "determination" into them? If their souls persist after they perish, then..._

_Freedom might be closer than we all thought._

 

Each entry made Frisk progressively more and more anxious and uncomfortable. They weren't sure what to do, and had no other choice rather than press on. It seemed Chara was stumped as well—they were dead silent.

The next room was slightly misty, making it hard to see. Frisk could see a few hospital beds laid out, and turned to look at the next panel.

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 9_

_things aren't going well. none of the bodies have turned into dust, so I can't get the souls. i told the families that i would give them the dust back for the funerals. people are starting to ask me what's happening._

_what do i do?_

 

Chara gave off the impression of a confused stare. _So... they didn't die?_

Frisk pursed their lips, and shrugged, forcing their eyes away from the unsettling words on the panel. _I guess not. And the next entry skipped two._

 _I'm sure they're here somewhere,_ Chara assured.

Frisk gave a silent hum of acknowledgement, and tightened the grip on their backpack straps as they walked past the beds. One was wet, oddly enough. There was a door on the side leading off somewhere, but the three sinks strangely lined up together caught their eyes. Curiously, they wandered up to it.

When they turned the first faucet, normal water poured out. They turned it off and moved onto the next one. The same thing happened. When they looked at the last one on the end, a sudden wave of anxiety sparked their nerves, and they hesitantly turned the knob.

Slowly, strange white liquid came dripping out, and then a bunch suddenly plopped out all at once. Chara made a loud, disgusted _erk_ in their head, and Frisk reeled back as the white liquid began to overflow out of the sink.

And then a head poked out of it, a strange smile. Suddenly, it morphed into a horrifying, dripping creature with terrifying grins and laughs that grated on Frisk's ears. Their eyes went wide and they reeled backwards, hardly even noticing the way their soul was ripped out of their chest and forcibly hovered in front of them. Except, strangely, their soul was _glitching_.

As the creatures loomed over them, dripping white goo all over the floor, Chara was freaking out. _What the FUCK is that._

The creatures opened their mouths simultaneously, and what came out was a horrible scratching noise that made Frisk feel like they were going deaf. They stumbled onto their back, throwing their hands over their ears and grimacing.

 _Ugh, it sounds like phone static_ , Chara groaned. Frisk clenched their jaw, and then widened their eyes in realization. They quickly pulled out their phone, ignoring Chara's confused questions, and put the receiver to their ear.

Muffled voices began to come through.

" ** _Come join the fun..._** " was what Frisk could make out.

They stared at the strange creatures for what seemed like forever, and then suddenly white, misty dots were surrounding them and fading sporadically. Some almost looked like human faces. However, none of them managed to touch them, and once the dots faded away, so did the creatures.

When they stood and put their phone away, a red key was lying in the sink. Frisk picked it up, and put it on their keychain.

As Chara made confused and distressed noises in their head, a sudden force blew them back and shoved them against the wall, lifting them up off their feet. If they could have screamed, they would, but instead they just struggled against the invisible force and grit their teeth.

Then everything was quiet for a moment.

 

* * *

 

_When they opened their eyes, they were staring at the hole that looked like it was a million feet above them. Their body hurt, their head hurt, their emotions hurt. They felt dead, but when they sat up and felt the flowers beneath their fingertips, they knew they were very much alive. They felt something sticking to their back, but when they reached around to feel what it was, there was nothing there._

_There was a stick laying nearby. They picked it up, cautiously walking out of the area, holding it close to their chest._

_"Howdy!" piped a voice as soon as they walked past the archway._

_They gasped silently, jumping back, and looked down to realize that the owner of the voice was a talking golden flower. Kneeling down, they hesitantly used the stick as a makeshift shield as the flower continued to smile at them._

_"I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower!" continued the flower, its grin looking almost hungry. It eyed them up and down. "Hmm... you're new to the underground, aren'tcha?" It didn't even give them a chance to respond before it said, "Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do."_

_They leaned back, apprehensive._

_"Ready?" Flowey asked, even though they were, in fact, not ready at all. "Here we go!"_

_What happened next was most likely the strangest experience of their life. Something was ripped, quite literally, out of their chest_ _—except it didn't hurt. What came out was a floating red heart, pulsing and beaming with life. When they touched it, it tickled, and their hand went straight through it._

_"See that heart?" the flower asked, still wearing its pleased smile. "That is your soul, the very culmination of your being!"_

_Most of the words, they didn't understand. They had never seen anything like this before._

_"Your soul starts off weak, but you can grow strong if you gain lots of LV." When the flower saw their confused look, it glanced to the side. "What's LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course!" it replied, like it was obvious. "You want some LOVE, don't you? Don't worry, I'll share some with you!"_

_It winked, and then white, spinning pellets came floating out of its body. They scooted backwards, jumping to their feet, startled._

_"Down here, LOVE is shared through... little white..." It seemed to think for a moment. "...'friendliness pellets'." It smiled sweetly. "Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can!"_

_As the white pellets came raining down, they were unsure of what to do, so they let the pellets hit their soul and body. They regretted it immediately after, and the pain that suddenly inflicted them was unbearable and intense. They choked on their own breath, falling backwards, and held their side. When they looked up at Flowey, it was sporting a malicious smile. They had been tricked._

_"You idiot," it hissed. "In this world, it's kill or BE killed. Why would ANYONE pass up an opportunity like this!?" White pellets appeared in a threatening circle around them, with no means of escape. "DIE." They began to close in, the flower's twisted laughter echoing through the cavern, and they curled up on the ground, trying to use their arms in a makeshift means of protection._

_But then, they didn't come, so they looked up. There was a tiny screech, and Flowey was being sent away by a fireball. A friendly-looking creature walked up, looking worried. She almost looked similar to a goat._

_She held out a hand, a warm, welcoming smile on her face. They didn't quite trust her, and their fingers suddenly twitched, feeling empty. They grabbed their stick, and took her hand, not sure what else to do._

_They still weren't sure what to do after everything they went through with her_ _—her telling them her name, her inviting them to live at her house, her making them pie, her expecting them to stay._

_They were apprehensive as they traveled down the stairs into the basement, and walked until they found her standing by the large door. She had her back turned to them, and radiated an aura of discomfort and distress. She looked... irritated._

_"You want to leave so badly?" she whispered, her voice low. "Hmph. You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself... Prove to me you are strong enough to survive."_

_Then their soul was being ripped out again, and they jumped back. Their fight with Flowey came flooding back, and staring at her determined face, all they could see was Flowey's twisted grin and laughter. Their body was shaking, and they quickly pulled out their stick in front of them._

_Fire came raining down, and they fell onto their back when a blast hit them directly in the chest. Anxiety spiked through them; were they going to die here? Was Toriel trying to kill them!?_

_They started to hate themself for trusting her in the first place. Maybe the pie had some kind of poison in it too._

_There was a voice whispering to them in their head, telling them to stay calm and just strike. So they did._

_Again._

_And again._

_And again._

_Until she fell, and turned into dust._

_They froze, eyes wide, and they dropped their stick. The voice sounded pleased, but their heart was pounding too hard for them to hear anything. Their soul floated back into their body, but all they were looking at was the dust on the ground._

_Falling to their knees, their hands shook as they let their hands fall into the dust, and picked it up and stare at it. They wanted to scream, to shout, to curse themself for ever listening the voice._

_They didn't mean to kill her. They didn't want to kill her._

_But now they just had, and they wanted to die more than anything._

_Shaking their head like they were having a spasm, they pressed their dust-covered hands on their cheeks and pushed, gripping into their hair and pulling until the dark strands were stained with white. They stomped on their stick, kicking it away, and turned away from the dust, collapsing to the ground in a heap. Tears streamed down their cheeks, snot dripped from their nose, and they let out heavy, choked breaths as their breakdown made its course._

_They wanted to go back. They wanted to go back and start all over and never—_

_When they opened their eyes, they were staring at the hole that looked like it was a million feet above them. Their body hurt, their head hurt, their emotions hurt. They felt dead, but when they sat up and felt the flowers beneath their fingertips, they knew they were very much alive. They felt something sticking to their back, but when they reached around to feel what it was, there was nothing there._

_They turned, and saw a figure looking down at them._

_It was a child, with a small smile on their face and glowing red eyes. They were slightly wispy, and their body seemed to fade in and out every few moments. They extended their hand, kneeling down so they were face-to-face._

_"I can help you get through the Underground," the child said, their voice hushed and familiar._

_They lifted their hands to sign, but figured that the child couldn't understand them. So they gulped, and clasped hands with the other. The child's small smile began to leak black tar, and they tried to reel back but the grip on their hand was too strong._

_The child leaped at them, and it was like they were being shoved backwards into nothing._

 

* * *

 

Once they slid back to the ground, Chara made a quiet gasp in the back of their head.

 _What... was that?_ Frisk mumbled, shaking their head outwardly. _That wasn't a memory... Was it?_

Chara was hesitating. _I... don't know._

Frisk frowned. _You're not lying to me, right?_

 _No_ , was Chara's answer, so they left it at that.

The red key turned to fit into the slot on the room to the right, and once they put it in, there was a distant click. Turning back, Frisk realized that the red circle of the four-circled door was lit up, and the door to the right was glowing. They moved to the right, nearly tripping over a fallen tile, and almost walked by a panel. They didn't notice it until it beeped as the words lit up the screen.

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 12_

_nothing is happening. i don't know what to do._

_i'll just keep injecting everything with "determination."_

_i want this to work._

 

 _So, they tried to use... "Determination"... to bring back monsters?_ Frisk asked, confused.

Chara hummed. _Er, I think it's a bit more complicated than that._

 _Huh..._ Frisk pouted, and moved on to the next panel.

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 13_

_one of the bodies opened its eyes._

 

They stared at the panel for a few moments before Chara burst out with, _That's it? No supporting details?_

 _Maybe it's a diary or something_ , Frisk suggested.

Chara scoffed in disbelief and gave off the impression of throwing their hands up in the air. _Why would a diary have its entries spread out across a damn lab!?_

Frisk frowned, and backed off.

The next room led to a room of multiple pink beds, one with the covers pulled back. They walked between the beds, occasionally letting their fingers brush against the blankets, and spotted another panel up ahead.

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 14_

_Everyone that had fallen down... has woken up. They're all walking around and talking like nothing is wrong._

_I thought they were goners...?_

 

 _What does "fallen down" mean?_ Frisk asked, glancing upwards.

 _Near-death, pretty much_ , Chara replied, metaphorically shrugging.

To the right, there was a pathway. They walked towards it, leading them to a room filled with golden flowers in pots, similar to Flowey. They blinked, a mirror catching their eyes. Before they walked up to the panel, they stopped, and looked at themself in the mirror.

For a moment they swore their eyes were red.

Deciding they didn't like what they saw, they moved onto the panel.

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 7_

_We'll need a vessel to wield the monster souls when the time comes. After all, a monster cannot absorb the souls of other monsters._

_Just as a human cannot absorb a human soul..._

_So then... what about something that's neither human nor monster?_

 

Frisk looked back at the flowers, and then to the words on the panel. An unsettling feeling rose in the pit of their stomach. Chara made an odd, uncomfortable noise, so Frisk decided to move onto the next one.

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 10_

_experiments on the vessel are a failure. it doesn't seem to be any different from the control cases._

_whatever. they're a hassle to work with anyway. the seeds just stick to you, and won't let go..._

 

They didn't get it—so they ignored it.

Walking further, they promptly kept their eyes away from the mirror, trying not to look at themself. They tightened their grip on their backpack straps, and immediately whipped their head around once they heard a familiar sound. Their eyes were locked on the mirror, but instead of their current reflection, it was something different.

It was them—except not. Their clothes were covered head to toe in dust, their hair was all in a mess, and their eyes were blood red. In their hands was a knife, sharp and sleek.

The worst part about it was that they were _smiling_.

Frisk shivered, and looked down at their hand. It was empty. When they looked back at the mirror, it was just them—

—and a misshapen white figure hovering over them from behind.

They whirled around with a silent gasp, and the creature that almost looked like a bird was hovering so close Frisk could feel the chill coming from it.

 _It almost looks like... a combination of monsters_ , Frisk noted at the same time Chara screamed, _What the FUCK._

The creature pulled in on itself and out, turning its head wildly. To Frisk, it almost looked like a bird. Unsure of what to do, they leaned back against the mirror, and pushed their hands against it. It's body was gooey and gross and white liquid slicked between their fingers. They grimaced, and flinched as the creature jumped back slightly and began to convulse.

The creature looked placated, and when Frisk removed their hands, it rose to the ceiling and dissipated. Looking down at their hands, Frisk grimaced, but then the gooey white stuff faded away as quickly as the monster did, not a trace of it in sight.

Frisk took a deep breath and sighed. _What is this place?_ they asked, but didn't expect an answer. Chara didn't give them one.

 

* * *

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 15_

_Seems like this research was a dead end. But at least we got a happy ending out of it...?_

_I sent the souls and the vessel back to Asgore. And I called all the families and told them everyone's alive._

_I'll send everyone back tomorrow. :)_

 

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 16_

_no No NO NO NO NO NO_

 

* * *

 

In the bathroom, there was a waving figure moving back and forth behind the curtains. Oddly, Frisk felt nothing, and they slowly walked towards the bathtub. Everything seemed to get tenser and thicker once they made it to it, and when they pulled the curtains aside, all that was in the bathtub was a small, green key.

They picked it up and put it on their keychain.

Chara was oddly quiet.

 

* * *

 

After the next terrifying creature that tried to kill them faded away, the next room beside the DT Extraction Machine was supplied with a television, as well as multiple tapes beside it. Frisk blinked a few times, and then moved over curiously to the panel beside the shelves of DVDs.

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 4_

_I've been researching humans to see if I can find any info about their souls. I ended up snooping around the castle... and found these weird tapes._

_I don't feel like Asgore's watched them. I don't think he should._

 

Frisk turned their head to look at said tapes, and set their backpack down beside them as they sat cross-legged in front of the TV. Looking for the first tape, they fiddled with it for a moment before leaning towards the VCR.

Then they stopped.

It was like their body couldn't move. They didn't know what to do. Their body broke out into a cold sweat and they felt nauseous, but forced themself to push the tape in anyway.

There was a bit of static before the video came up, but all there was was black.

" _Pssst. Gorey, wake up._ "

" _Mmm? What is it, dear? ...err, and why do you have that video camera?_ "

" _Shush! I want to get your reaction! Gorey, dearest, what is my favorite vegetable?_ "

" _Hmm... Carrots, right?_ "

" _No no no! My FAVORITE vegetable is... eda-MOM-e. Get it?_ "

" _... Go back to bed, dear._ "

" _No no! Not yet! Hee hee hee. Now, if I were a dog, what breed of dog would I be?_ "

" _Hmm... I don't know, honey. What kind of dog would you be?_ "

" _I would be... A MOMERANIAN._ "

" _Hohoho! You sure are excited to have this child. You know, if you keep making jokes like this... one day, you could be... a famous MOMedian._ "

" _... Well, I am going to bed._ "

" _Wait! Come on, Tori! That one was funny!_ "

" _Hahaha, I know. I am just teasing you. Goodnight, dear._ "

" _Goodnight, honey._ "

" _... Oh dear, perhaps it is too dark in here for the video to come out..._ "

Frisk blinked as the video turned to static, and they ejected the tape. Silently, they set it down, and stared at the ground for a while. Tori, Gorey—Toriel, Asgore.

 _That was Toriel and Asgore, wasn't it?_ they inquired, only half-expecting an answer.

 _Yeah_ , replied Chara in a strained voice.

Frisk let out a tiny sigh, and put in the next tape.

There was a bit of shuffling, and then a giggle came through the video. Chara immediately froze, giving off a cold chill that made Frisk's hairs stand up on end.

" _Okay, Chara, are you ready?_ " came a high-pitched voice, and Frisk's eyes widened. " _Do your creepy face!_ " There was a bit of silence, followed by wind, and then the owner of the high-pitched voice let out a terrified shriek. It was quickly dissipated when the owner giggled happily. " _Oh!_ " the holder of the camera gasped. " _Wait! I had the lens cap on... What!? You're not gonna do it again? Come on, quit tricking me! Haha!_ "

The video ended, and Frisk was left with silence.

_...Chara—_

_Don't._

So they didn't. They moved onto the next tape. The voice that came through was the same high-pitched one from the last tape, and Frisk could hear Chara's sharp intake of breath. They tried to focus on the noise in the tape, but the overwhelming feeling of memories and recognition was unsettling them.

" _Howdy, Chara!_ " the voice said, and the word choice sounded far too familiar. " _Smile for the camera!_ " There was a silence for a few moments, and then the owner of the voice burst into proud, excited laughter. " _Ha, this time I got YOU! I left the lens cap on... ON PURPOSE! Now you're smiling for nooo reason! Hee hee hee!_ "

There was a hushed murmur of a voice of someone else.

" _What? Oh, yeah, I remember. When we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right? The recipe asked for cups of butter... but we accidentally put in buttercups instead._ " The owner of the voice sounded guilty, and their voice cracked. "Y _eah! Those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad. We made Mom really upset. I should have laughed it off, like you did..._ " The owner swallowed. " _Um, anyway, where are you going with this?_ "

The owner of the other voice said something in a low tone, so that Frisk couldn't hear.

The other voice made a confused noise. " _Huh? Turn off the camera...? Okay._ "

The video ended with a click, and Frisk took a deep breath. _Chara, is this... you in the videos?_

 _Just DROP IT, Frisk._ Chara's tone was almost demonic.

 _...But_ —

_I SAID DROP IT._

Frisk tried to fight back the burning in their eyes, wiping the tears forming in the corners, and huffed as they practically shoved in the next tape. Anger washed through them, and they couldn't tell if it was their own or Chara's.

" _I... I don't like this idea, Chara._ " It was the same, high-pitched voice. " _Wh... what? N-no, I'm not..._ " The owner of the voice sniffled. " _Big kids don't cry... Yeah, you're right!... No! I'd never doubt you, Chara. Never!_ "

Another murmur, followed by a prideful chuckle.

" _Y... yeah! We'll be strong! We'll free everyone!_ " The owner took a deep breath. " _I'll go get the flowers._ "

When the tape ended, Frisk could feel themself shaking. They didn't even try to ask Chara what was going on this time before they put in the next tape.

" _Chara..._ " It was Toriel's voice. " _Can you hear me? We want you to wake up..._ "

" _Chara!_ " Asgore's voice came. " _You have to stay determined! You can't give up... You are the future of humans and monsters..._ "

There was a bit of silence, and then a whisper came, " _Psst. Chara. Please... wake up... I don't like this plan anymore._ " The owner's voice trembled. " _I... I... no, I said... I said I'd never doubt you. Six, right? We just have to get six... And we'll do it together, right?_ "

The video stopped. Frisk found themself unblinking at the static television. They ejected the tape and put it back where they found it, and stood. Slinging the bag over their shoulders, they could feel all of Chara's emotions spilling out all over. There were so many it was hard to pinpoint even just one.

They walked out of the room, and turned to stare at the large machine.

 _Was that how you died?_ Frisk asked. _Flowers? You made a plan?_

Chara didn't answer, and Frisk found themself getting more and more irritated.

_Why won't you tell me anything!? You know almost EVERYTHING about me, and I still don't know a THING about you!_

_Stop._

Frisk clenched their jaw angrily, letting out a seethed breath through their teeth. _Who was the person in the tapes!? Why do Asgore and Mo—Toriel know who you are!? What ARE you!? Where did you come from!? WHY ARE YOU IN MY HEAD!?_

 _STOP IT RIGHT NOW!_ Chara shrieked, and in a split second, control was ripped away from Frisk and their body was being hurled into the nearby wall. Their head hit the wall hard, and they slumped back down just as they felt control slipping back into their fingertips again. Chara's tone was shaky and all they were giving was quiet gasps, and Frisk fell pathetically against the ground.

 

* * *

 

Their dreams were filled with nothing but images of red eyes and white dust scattering over black nothingness. When they woke, they were still on the ground. Their hair felt matted, and when they reached up to touch it, it stung. When they pulled their hand back, there was blood on their fingers.

Frisk stood, groaning, and leaned against the wall for support. Their wrist looked out of sorts, and when they tried to move it, they realized it was sprained, so they tucked it underneath their other arm and started walking towards the next room.

They tried to reach out for Chara, and even though they could feel their presence, it was almost like they weren't even there.

The next room was filled with mist—it was too thick to even think about seeing anything in it. When they squinted, they swore they could see something in the shape of a man. It moved, waved what looked like a hand.

Frisk blinked, and then they were surrounded by complete and utter blackness. When they looked down, their entire body was grey and their skin felt fake.

W. D. Gaster stood across from them, his goopy face unchanged from the last time.

 _ **IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN**_ , he signed, and smiled the best he could.

Frisk smiled back, despite the pain, and lifted up their good hand to attempt to sign, **You too. Why are you here?**

 _ **YOUR JOURNEY IS COMING TO AN END**_ , he replied. **_SOON, YOU WILL REACH THE MOMENT WHERE EVERYTHING WILL PIECE TOGETHER. AS OF NOW, I AM SURE YOU'VE FIGURED OUT QUITE A FEW THINGS._**

Frisk raised an eyebrow in question.

**_YOUR "FRIEND," CHARA. I AM RATHER FAMILIAR WITH THEM._ **

**Apparently everyone is** , Frisk signed with a deadpan expression, and W. D. Gaster seemed to laugh.

 ** _YES, WELL... YOUR FRIEND HASN'T BEEN ENTIRELY HONEST WITH YOU._** Before Frisk could reply, he held up a hand. **_WHAT THEY WILL NOT TELL YOU, I CAN SHOW YOU._**

Frisk's eyes widened slightly, and they straightened their back. **How?**

_**I AM NOTHING; I AM SIMPLY AN ABNORMALITY. MUCH LIKE YOUR FRIEND. WHAT THEY CAN DO, I CAN DO AND SO MUCH MORE. IF YOU WILL GIVE ME PERMISSION, I CAN SHOW YOU EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU.** _

A wave of apprehension washed over them.

**What... happened to me?**

W. D. Gaster stepped forward and took their hand.

 

* * *

 

_They felt dead. They felt nothing. And yet they felt like they were everything._

_Their body moved on its own, controlled by something far beyond them, but they ignored it. They were still there, watching through the eyes._

_They watched as red eyes flashed in the reflection of the toy knife the controller wielded. They watched as that knife struck through monster after monster. They watched as their controller actively sought out each monster, laughing and giggling all the while in hopes of finding another to turn into dust._

_They watched as the knife slashed through Toriel's chest. They watched as their own hands dug into the dust of her and threw it up in the air, playing with it._

_They watched as their controller fought their way through the empty town of Snowdin, ignoring each warning and deciding to murder each and every monster that hadn't fled._

_And they didn't care. They couldn't. It was like all their emotions were locked in a safe, and their controller had the key._

_Then the tall skeleton came. They couldn't remember his name, but they couldn't care. Their controller didn't either, and they swiped their knife across his neck and decapitated him without a second thought. Once he started declaring his belief, their controller walked their body forward, stepped on his skull, and crushed it._

_Next was Waterfall. So many more monsters fell, and they were getting harder and harder to find. They were evacuating, trying to get away from them. They assumed it was a good thing, but they just couldn't care._

_Undyne the Undying fell, melting after her determination became too much for her to bear. Their controller stomped on her remains without a care in the world._

_Mettaton NEO fell with ease._

_Then came him. Sans. The short skeleton._

_They didn't know him, not at all; just how threatening he was and how powerful he apparently was behind the lazy exterior. His eye glowed blue, and he lifted their body up in the air. They couldn't count how many times they died; they had lost count at 23. But their controller was determined—determined to make it to the end and finish it all._

_Finish what? What were they trying to accomplish?_

_Then, after what was most likely the 25th death, something strange happened. Their emotions were unlocked._

_Everything came flooding out. They realized everything, they remembered everything. How much they loved Toriel, how much they liked the monsters, and how wrong it was to murder every single one in the Underground._

_So they screamed at their controller, begging them to let them go and end it all. But they pressed on, ignoring the protests, actively getting themself killed over and over and over and over._

_(And when the bones hit their body, they always gave them control of their own body at the last second.)_

_But then, the short skeleton gave a strange offer. To drop everything and give up. They hurriedly asked their controller to accept it. Their controller didn't, but after some thought, laughed out loud and did. It was silent as they walked forward._ _They knelt on the ground, extending their arms out to drop their knife in front of them._

_But before the knife slipped from their grip, they held onto it tight and jabbed the blade directly into their stomach._

_Sans jumped back, startled, and they coughed and spewed blood all over the golden floor. They twisted the blade, crying out weakly at the pain, their throat burning. Their controller was screaming, fighting, battering at them._

_Just before they fell onto the ground, they flashed a weak smile at the skeleton standing over them._

 

* * *

 

_"Pathetic," whispered Chara's voice. They looked down at Frisk's fallen body, laying over the void of nothingness and blackness. Their body was covered in blood._

_Chara clicked their tongue, and pressed their foot against Frisk's body, pushing it lightly to make them lay on their back. Their face was calm, peaceful, even. It made them sick._

_"You didn't even know him, and yet you wanted to save him so bad..." they murmured, purposefully pressing their foot hard against Frisk's wound; blood spilled from it and onto their shoes. "You didn't know anyone and yet you believed it was wrong."_

_Frisk didn't do anything in response._

_"You want to go back?" they replied in answer to no question. "You didn't even let me finish my job..."_

_There was a silence as Chara scowled._

_"I'll take us all the way back," they said in finalization. "I'll erase your memories of every run you've had here. I'll erase everyone's memories."_

_As Frisk's body faded away, Chara looked up at the white opening beginning to flood through the nothingness._

_"And I'll fix MY mistakes."_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is nearly 10k words im sorry
> 
> a lot happens so

When they opened their eyes (when had they closed them?), themself and the world around them was still painted in shades of grey. W. D. Gaster was gone.

And Chara was standing right ahead of them.

Their face was hidden with a shadow, only their mouth and chilling natural flush visible. If one looked close enough, they could see the glimmer of red behind the black shadow hiding their eyes. Chara's hair was messy and red-tinted—and they looked exactly the same as the reflection in the puddle Frisk had seen seemingly so long ago.

They didn't look happy. Their mouth was turned downwards into a displeased frown. Frisk supposed their own expression was the same.

Their next words seemed to leave their mouth on their own, _It was you._ It was strange. Their words echoed through the nothingness around them, but it wasn't their own voice—they didn't know whose it was.

Chara lifted their head a bit. " _So he showed you._ " Their voice left their own lips, matching the voice that had been in Frisk's head for ages since they fell in the Underground. It was weird to see it actually come out of a source.

Frisk swallowed, clenching their fists. _Why didn't you tell me!? Why did you lie to me!?_

" _You wouldn't understand._ "

_If you just TOLD ME—_

Chara held up a hand, their fingers trembling. It looked like they were trying to say something, but couldn't. They choked down their own words, and let their head fall. The tips of their fingers were pale grey.

Frisk let out a slow sigh. _You... killed them all. You USED my body and killed them._

Chara was silent. They couldn't deny it.

 _Gaster was right_ , Frisk breathed. _I can't trust you._

" _You can't get rid of me,_ " Chara replied gravelly, their mouth twitching upwards into an odd smirk. The fact that Frisk couldn't see their eyes only made it that much creepier. " _You're STUCK with me. I'll be here forever._ "

Frisk glanced down at their feet for a moment, and then back at the slightly trembling child ahead of them. _Why did you kill them?_

Chara snickered. " _Do I need a reason?_ "

 _Yes_ , Frisk replied automatically. _There has to be a reason._

" _Well there is none,_ " Chara snapped, like the question offended them somehow. " _Sorry to disappoint._ "

In the corner of Frisk's eyes, they could see it—their soul. Except something was coating it, a thin red layer with an empty inside, hovering over the outside of their own soul. The layer was slightly stained with black, and almost wrapped around Frisk's soul like a lock.

Frisk and Chara were still connected. If they tried hard enough, just maybe they could tap into Chara's memories.

Frisk closed their eyes slowly, prompting a confused noise from Chara. They breathed in deeply, flexing their fingers, and focused their thoughts on the child ahead of them. They could feel red all around, despite the grey shades coating the outside and themselves.

Then they saw it.

 

* * *

 

_Their red eyes locked onto the door ahead of them, almost afraid to open it. Before their shaking fingers could even reach the handle, the door swung open, and a much larger, rougher, stronger hand dragged them inside. At least it was warmer inside; they never liked the cold._

_"What took you so long!?" their mother screamed at them; their father made an agreeing noise from his place on the couch._

_They swallowed, tightening the grip on their school bag. "I was... talking to someone," they finally replied in a small voice._

_Their mother narrowed her matching red eyes. "Who? Why? About what?"_

_The multiple questions only made them more anxious. "U-um..." they stammered, trying to back away from their mother's leering gaze. "A... kid from my class. He wanted to invite me to his birthday party..."_

_"And what did you say?"_

_"I said 'no, because my mom will get mad'," they replied honestly._

_The response didn't seem to please their mother. She lifted her hand, and they cowered back out of reflex. The smack that inflicted them across the face stung, the impact burning across the wounds of previous bruises and cuts._

_"Why couldn't you have just said no and left it at that!?" she screamed at them, spit flying in their face. "Why are you so stupid!?"_

_"I-I'm sorry, Mom, I—"_

_They were cut off by a kick to the face._

 

* * *

 

Frisk was breathless. When they opened their eyes, they stared at Chara's face for what seemed like forever. It looked like no time had passed in the time they delved into Chara's memories.

They took a deep breath, and murmured, _Your mother beat you._

Chara's breath caught in their throat, and they stumbled back. " _Stop. How do you know that. How did..._ " It was almost like they were hyperventilating.

 _The day before you fell_ , Frisk started, face set in utter awe and astonishment, _you got invited to a birthday party by a boy from your class._

" _Stop_."

_You said no, but then said too much._

" _STOP._ "

 _Your mom didn't like that, and she_ —

" _I SAID STOP._ " Chara enunciated their words with a stomp of their foot, and the entire world seemed to shake from the impact. Frisk wobbled, but Chara only continued. " _Leave me ALONE. YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME._ "

Frisk closed their eyes again, and the darkness behind their eyelids flooded with color.

 

* * *

 

_They sat curled up in the shed in the backyard, having been grounded outside in the cold, snowy, wet weather as punishment. Their face and chest stung, and they knew there would be new bruises to appear tomorrow._

_Their eyes stared blankly at the floor, watching the ants roam around the wood, seeking for shelter from the cold. They moved their foot, and crushed two underneath their boot. The others scattered away quickly, seemingly afraid of them. They could almost laugh._

_In the small, high window of the shed, they could see the peak of the infamous Mt. Ebott. Legends all across town always said that those who traversed to the top never came back down. But nobody has ever tried to go up there._

_Their eyes twinkled._

_The shed door creaked loudly as it opened, and they winced, but nobody inside their home seemed to notice, or care. The lights were off; they were probably asleep or out somewhere. Not like their parents would care anyway._

_They hadn't bothered to put on a jacket when they went outside, but they were too afraid to go inside the house and get one. Where they were going, they wouldn't need it for long._

_It took quite a bit of time to figure out the direction of the path that led up the mountain, since they had hardly any knowledge of the town they lived in. Once their feet began to track upwards, a strange thrill washed through them. They swallowed, apprehensive, and wrapped their arm around themself. They felt like they were too eager to climb all the way to the top._

_The moon was in full place by the time they made it to the top._

_There was a large hole in the ground, surrounded by vines and trees. They let out a slow breath (was this the source of the legends that said nobody ever returned? what was down in the hole?)_

_They glanced back behind them, breathing in the sight of the village they left behind. The old, broken town, ruined by the events of WWI and filled with dreadful, awful people. The only thing good about it were the beautiful golden flowers that would grow in the center of town._

_There was nothing left for them there. Nobody would care if they left. Nobody would notice. Their parents would hide their disappearance._

_They turned back to the hole, and walked closer to it. It looked like it led to absolutely nothing—but that was just fine with them. Just as they were about to let themself fall, their foot caught on a vine and they stumbled forward._

_They didn't have any time for second thoughts before they were plummeting to the ground._

 

* * *

 

Frisk stared hard at Chara, dual-colored eyes twinkling with determination. _You ran away from home, and climbed up the mountain._

Chara threw both hands over their ears, shaking their head back and forth, only making their hair messier and messier. " _Stop!! How are you doing that!?_ "

 _You... felt like nothing_ , Frisk continued slowly, clenching and unclenching their fists and biting their lip. _So... you tried to make yourself disappear._

" _STOP_ ," Chara screeched, their voice echoing. When they looked up, the shadow had disappeared but instead of eyes there were only black sockets dripping with a dark, tar-like substance. It was like they were crying. " _STOP STOP STOP!!!_ "

Frisk jolted backwards, shocked, and then stared at the ground. Was that where it ended? Was that all there was to Chara's story? It couldn't be. There was no way.

 _If you want me to stop..._ Frisk finally said firmly, _then you'll TELL me who and what you are._

Chara trembled a bit, and then fell to their knees, defeated. They were letting out angry growls, mixed in with tiny sobs in the back of their throat. It almost looked like their body was slipping away. Frisk walked up to them, and knelt down in front of their shaking form. Almost hesitantly, they wrapped their arms around the other child, letting Chara's face bury itself into their chest.

Chara's hands made their way to Frisk's arms, and the touch made their skin light on fire. Their vision blossomed with color as Chara, slowly but willingly, gave Frisk the answer they wanted.

 

* * *

 

_"It sounds like it came from over here..." called a voice from afar._

_They shifted in place, pain blossoming all across their body. Were they dead? Was this hell?_

_There was a sudden gasp. "Oh!" called the owner of the voice, and there was a patter of footsteps only coming closer and closer. "You've fallen down, haven't you...?" The voice was soft and curious, and a hand gently touched their shoulder. It was weird; the hand was soft and fuzzy._

_The hand pushed them gently, carefully, and they groaned. "Are you okay?" asked the voice, and they tried to shake their head. "Here, get up."_

_Then there was a pair of hands lifting them up. They tried to shove the person away, but they were too hurt and weak to do so. The person lifted them up, and they lifted their head to see that the owner of the voice was not, in fact, a human, but a monstrous goat creature. The creature was staring at them with genuine concern, and it made them feel weird._

_The creature threw one of their arms over his shoulders. "What's your name?" he asked curiously._

_They barely coughed the words out, "...Ch-Chara..."_

_The creature only smiled brilliantly. "'Chara', huh? That's a nice name," he hummed._

_They shifted against him, wincing under their breath at the next step the creature took._

_"My name is Asriel."_

 

* * *

 

_The next time they opened their eyes, they were in a bed. It was soft, warm, comfortable... and completely out of place._

_They shot up, and immediately expected to regret it. But there was no pain. Looking down, they saw no wounds, no traces of bruises or cuts. Nothing felt broken; they felt better than they ever had before. When they moved their arms and legs, they weren't broken._

_Then they realized that they were very much alive, and blanched._

_They got out of the bed and walked to the door, slowly opening it and peering outside. All it was was a hallway, with other doors beside them. Stepping outside, they walked down the hall into the main room, where there was a staircase leading downwards. Blinking, they wandered further until it led them to a living room and dining room, all connected to a kitchen._

_Three identical-looking creatures were sitting at the table._

_They turned, ready to run, but then the smaller creature from before jumped up and gave them a big smile. "Chara!" he exclaimed, and they were surprised that he had remembered their name. "You're awake! Do you feel any better?"_

_"Uh..." they stammered, unsure what to say._

_"Asriel! Give them some space!" the other white goat-creature scolded, giving said boy a reprimanding stare. Then she stood, pushing in her chair, and walked over to them. She put her hands on their shoulders, and smiled. "Are you okay, young one? My son, Asriel, brought you in. You had many injuries, it took quite some time for me to heal them all. My name is Toriel, and the other at the table is my husband, Asgore."_

_"...Healing," was all they could say, raising their eyebrows._

_Toriel looked confused. "Yes? My healing magic."_

_"'Magic'!?" they repeated incredulously. There was no way._

_"Do they not have magic on the surface, in the land of the humans?" Asgore—that was his name, right?—asked from the table._

_They scoffed, and shook their head. "No! Guys like you aren't there either!" They shoved themself away from Toriel, and looked all around the room. "What is this place?"_

_"The Underground!" Asriel exclaimed excitedly. "There's a LOT of monsters here in Home!"_

_"'Home'...?"_

_Toriel cleared her throat to gather their attention. "Humans banished us down here quite some time ago," she explained, looking sheepish. "Underneath a magical barrier."_

_They laughed, feeling their palms get sweaty. "No, no way. Magic doesn't exist. Monsters aren't real." They were the real monster._

_"Dear, do you think the humans erased our history from their kind?" Asgore softly asked his wife, who only responded with a shrug._

_Toriel turned back to them, and gently put a hand on their shoulder. "Come, sit and eat with us. It is dinner time, after all. You slept for quite a bit."_

_Asriel gestured happily to the seat beside him. "I even made a spot for you!"_

_Sure enough, there was an empty seat next to him, with food set on the plates and water in a fancy-looking cup. It all looked so surreal and amazing that they couldn't do more than silently take a seat next to Asriel and pick up the utensils. Unsure of what to do, they glanced up at Toriel, who was sitting across from them._

_She only gave them an encouraging smile._

_So, they took a deep breath, and tried to ignore all the happy smiles when they finally took a bite._

 

* * *

 

Chara's hands fell from Frisk's arms as soon as the vision ended, and Frisk stumbled backwards in surprise.

 _You... you were... adopted by Toriel and Asgore_ , Frisk realized.

Chara just laughed, throwing their head back as they cackled. When they looked back at Frisk, their eyes were normal and blazing with red, wet with tears that haven't yet fallen.

" _Me and Asriel grew to be best friends,_ " they said. " _We were inseparable. We were a happy family._ " They looked down at the ground, using their arms to hold their body up and support their weight. " _But then I learned about human and monster souls from one of W. D. Gaster's books,_ " they continued, practically spitting out the words like venom, " _and I got the idea to break the barrier. I brought it up with Asriel and..._ "

Frisk blinked, and the images passed by their eyes. Asriel hesitantly bringing Chara golden flowers. Chara gulping down the flowers even as the poison made their hands red and patchy. Asriel bringing the unconscious Chara to their parents. Chara laying in bed, surrounded by their family, while Asriel whispered things to them as they slept.

Chara's next laugh was dry and regretful. " _It didn't work._ "

The next set of images was even more graphic than the previous. Chara dying in Asriel's arms. Asriel crying as he absorbed their left-behind soul. Asriel venturing past the barrier before his parents could stop them. Asriel, in a horrifically terrifying state, carrying Chara's body down to a village. Asriel setting them in golden flowers, and crying over their body, as villagers ran up to him and started attacking. Each hit more powerful than the last.

Frisk could practically hear the conversation.

 

_" **Please, please, Asriel—** "_

_"I can't!"_

_" **We'll die if you don't!** "_

_"I'd rather DIE!"_

_" **O-okay... fine, we... we don't... we don't have to—not all of them, please—** "_

_"NO!"_

_" **Please, just—just six that's it—** "_

_"I WON'T!"_

_" **Please, Asriel, please I can't die like this we can't die for nothing please.** "_

_"C-Chara!"_

_" **You weren't supposed to die too Asriel please—** "_

_"I'm sorry—Chara, please don't hate me say you don't hate me..."_

_"... Chara?"_

 

Chara just kept on laughing and laughing.

" _We died!!_ " they shouted excitedly, eyes blazing and grin set wide. " _He died all over the flowers!! Right in front of Mom and Dad!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!_ " They were getting breathless, almost doubling over from how hard they were laughing.

Frisk took a few steps back, startled and afraid. Gnawing on their bottom lip, they tried to think of something to do. Then they took a deep breath.

_But we can still make it right._

Their words made Chara finally stop their laughing, and look up at Frisk with a confused expression.

Frisk's eyes blazed with determination. _I set out with a goal: to break the barrier and free all of the monsters. And I know King Asgore has six of them already. I don't care if I have to give up my soul._ They swallowed; they felt like they were going to cry. If they were speaking verbally, their voice would have cracked. _If you help me, we can finish what you and Asriel started._

They held out their hand.

Chara stared at it, blinking widely in confusion. Their gaze shifted from Frisk's face to their hand, and it looked like a million thoughts and questions were racing through their mind—and Frisk could feel every single one.

When their hand grabbed Frisk's, the entire world exploded in color.

 

* * *

 

They were back in the misty room. They could see nothing—no silhouettes in the shape of a man, no nothing.

But when they walked out, and their vision became clear, there were two figures standing on either side of them. Jolting in surprise, they would have let out a scream if they could. Instead, they nearly stumbled to the ground.

W. D. Gaster stood on one side, his body almost invisible, his goopy smile in place. He waved, and then noticed the other figure beside him. Chara was on the other side, looking between Gaster and Frisk like they were both insane.

Then they pointed to themself, " _Am I visible now?_ "

Frisk lifted their head, turned their nose away, and nodded.

 _ **AND I, AS WELL?**_ W. D. Gaster signed, and when Frisk nodded, hummed to himself. _**I BELIEVE THIS IS A RESULT OF YOUR COMPANIONSHIP.**_

Chara squinted. " _What the hell does THAT mean._ "

 ** _WHILE YOU WERE IN MY REALM, YOU WERE FINALLY ABLE TO SETTLE WITH EACH OTHER'S EXISTENCE AND CONJOINED YOUR SOULS IN ORDER TO CO-EXIST_** , he explained. **_INSTEAD OF BEING A SIMPLE PRESENCE INSIDE FRISK'S HEAD, YOU NOW HAVE A PROJECTION OF YOUR SOUL AROUND FRISK'S OWN SOUL._**

Chara opened their mouth to say something, but then shut it. They shook their head, holding their hands out in front of them. " _Ooookay, this is just weird,_ " they declared. " _Why are YOU here? Why can I suddenly understand all your sign language? What is GOING ON!?_ "

W. D. Gaster looked all around, and then down at Frisk. _**IT SEEMS I'VE BEEN INVITED TO TAG ALONG ON YOUR JOURNEY.**_

" _By WHO?_ "

**_MYSELF._ **

Chara groaned. Gaster sent them a pointed look.

**_DON'T YOU GROAN AT ME, YOUNGLING. I LET YOU INTO MY REALM, AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?_ **

They just turned to Frisk, pointed at Gaster with their thumb, and whispered (loud enough so Gaster could hear), " _He sounds like some old grandpa._ "

Before W. D. Gaster could get into the argument more, Frisk patted both of them (they were shorter compared to both of their companions, so it was a little hard—they felt a little weird when they touched them too; Gaster was wet and cold and Chara was just oddly warm) in order to get them to stop.

 _Let's not worry about the hows and whys for now_ , they said with a smile. _First we need to get out of here, these weird monster things are scaring me._

**_HM. IT SEEMS I AM NOW ABLE TO UNDERSTAND YOUR THOUGHT PROJECTION NOW._ **

"Yeah, yeah, we could know that without you having to say it."

**_I AM NOT SPEAKING VERBALLY. I AM USING MODERN SIGN LANGUAGE._ **

" _UGH_." Chara threw their hands in the air, and looked down at Frisk. " _I don't think I'm gonna be able to handle this guy if he's gonna be here the rest of the way._ "

Frisk looked up at W. D. Gaster, and then shrugged. _I like him._

" _You like everyone,_ " Chara countered with a sigh, and then pushed Frisk along. " _Alright, whatever, let's just move on._ "

 

* * *

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 11_

_now that mettaton's made it big, he never talks to me anymore... except to ask when i'm going to finish his body. but i'm afraid if i finish his body, he won't need me anymore. then we'll never be friends ever again._

_...not to mention, every time i try to work on it, i just get really sweaty..._

 

" _I wonder why,_ " Chara drawled.

The room was filled with fans, and a bit of mist that made it slightly difficult to see. On the other side of the room was a switch, and Frisk assumed that it was to turn on the fans, except they couldn't reach it.

W. D. Gaster stepped in front of them and tried to turn it, but when his hands touched the switch, they just went straight through and turned the green-ish looking switch into black and white. He stepped back sheepishly, matching Chara's glare with one of his own.

" _I'll do it, you nonexistent mop,_ " Chara muttered, flipping the switch with ease.

The fans turned on, blowing away some of the mist. The mist that remained suddenly collected together into a smiling ball, and Frisk could hear Chara groan from behind them. The ball crashed to the ground in a splatter of white, and then rose together in a terrifying shape that looked oddly animalistic. It stared at the three (though Frisk was sure it could only see themself), and slowly began to crawl towards them. Frisk pushed themself against the wall, and once it touched Frisk's skin, their soul shot out their body for the annoyingly video-game-like battle sequence.

Except Frisk's soul looked much different.

The inside was fully red, with a tiny purplish-black dot in the center, outlined in white. Chara and Gaster were standing on either side of Frisk, and their souls weren't in front of them like Frisk's was. Frisk figured that their souls were all just put together into one—all connected and thriving off each other.

Weird.

" _Oh my GOD IT'S A DOG,_ " Chara screamed in terror. " _IT'S A MUSH OF UGLY DOGS WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING—_ "

**_CALM DOWN. I'M SURE IT WON'T HURT US._ **

" _DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN WHEN THAT THING IS LITERALLY SPITTING UP ITSELF._ "

Frisk sighed. This was going to be a _long_ fight.

 

* * *

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 19_

_the families keep calling me to ask when everyone is coming home._

_what am i supposed to say? i don't even answer the phone anymore._

 

" _Yikes_ ," Chara hissed between their teeth.

Frisk looked at the empty refrigerators, and then flinched when the one next to them began to jolt and shake. When they observed it, nothing was wrong with it, so they moved onto the next panel, trying to ignore the way it was shaking.

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 20_

_Asgore left me five messages today. four about everyone being angry_

_one about this cute teacup he found that looks like me_

_thanks asgore._

 

Gaster hummed for a moment. Chara gave him a weird look.

_**IT SEEMS DR. ALPHYS IS CONFLICTED BY THE MISTAKES OF HER PAST.** _

" _Literally you do NOT need to state the obvious,_ " Chara said, flailing their arm around in front of them. " _Like, it's OKAY. WE KNOW._ "

Frisk gently pushed Chara as they moved onto the next panel.

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 21_

_i spend all my time at the garbage dump now_

_it's my element_

 

" _Wow_ ," was all Chara had to say.

 

* * *

 

After retrieving each key and fitting them into each appropriate slot, the door to the elevator finally slid open.

Except it was down, and the power was off. When they ventured off into the open side, all the panels on the walls were turned off. Chara frowned as they moved on into the next room—a large, wide, open space with a power switch on the other side.

Frisk walked up to it, followed by their companions, and observed it for a few moments. As they reached up to press the button, there was a sudden slam behind them.

Four amorphous, dripping creatures crawled and trekked up towards them, slithering across the ground and leaving a wet trail. Chara made an _ick_ sound in disgust, and W. D. Gaster stared disapprovingly at the monsters even though they couldn't see him. Just as they were about to grab Frisk, a voice suddenly called out,

"Hey! Stop!"

Alphys rushed in, looking sweaty and nervous. Frisk felt a wave of relief wash over them.

"I got you guys some food, okay!?" she exclaimed, and it took longer than necessary for Frisk to realize that she was talking to the amalgamates. When the amalgamates rushed away at the mention of food, Alphys let out a sigh. "Sorry about that... They get kind of sassy when they don't get fed on time."

" _So they're, like... pets?_ " Chara murmured.

"I think they thought they smelled food on you, and..." Alphys suggested unsurely, looking off to the side. "Anyway! The power went out, and I've been trying to turn it back on! But it seems like you were one step ahead of me." Alphys laughed nervously. "This was probably just a big inconvenience for you... B-but I appreciate that you came here to back me up! As I said, I was afraid I might..." She hesitated. "...not come back."

Frisk heard Chara's breath hitch.

"But that's not because of these guys or anything!" Alphys quickly assured, shaking her head. "I was just worried I would be too afraid... to tell the truth. That I might run away, or do something... cowardly." She shifted her gaze to her feet, and Frisk slowly took a few steps towards her. "Uh... I... I suppose I owe you an explanation. As you probably know, Asgore asked me to study the nature of souls. During my research, I isolated a power I called 'determination'. I injected it into dying monsters so their souls would last after death."

She took a deep breath.

"But the experiment failed," she said, and the words left her mouth like they were her last dying breath. "You see, unlike humans, monsters' bodies don't have enough... physical matter to take those concentrations of 'determination'. Their bodies started to melt, and lost what physicality they had. Pretty soon, all the test subjects had melted together into... those. Seeing them like this, I knew I couldn't tell their families about it. I couldn't tell _anyone_ about it." She shifted her gaze away from Frisk's face. "No matter how much everyone was asking me. And I was too afraid to do any more work, knowing... everything I'd done so far had been such a horrific failure."

Alphys rocked her weight back and forth. Frisk walked closer to her, no matter how much Chara groaned and tried to pull them back.

"But now... now, I've changed my mind about all this," Alphys said, with surprising confidence. "I'm going to tell everyone what I've done. It's... going to be hard. Being honest... believing in myself... I'm sure there will be times where I'll struggle. I'm sure there will be times where I'll screw up again. But... knowing, deep down, that I have friends to fall back on, I know it'll be a lot easier to stand on my own." She smiled, looking embarrassed.

Frisk closed the gap between them and her and enveloped their small arms around her in a hug. She let out a surprised gasp, looking down at Frisk with wide eyes, but then sniffled, and buried her face in their hair as she hugged them back. When they broke apart, Frisk gave her a big, bright smile.

Alphys smiled back, "Thank you."

The amalgamates slithered up to Alphys, and she turned around to smile at them. "Come on, guys," she breathed, like it was a weight being lifted off her shoulders. "It's time for everyone to go home."

They followed her out, and Frisk stood there for a few moments, taking in the events.

 ** _THAT WAS A LOT_** , Gaster signed, patting Frisk's head. **_YOU ARE A BRAVE CHILD FOR BEING ABLE TO SHOULDER ALL OF THIS. ALL THIS RESPONSIBILITY._**

Frisk beamed up at him, and signed back, **Thank you.** They chose to ignore how Chara rolled their eyes at the scene.

The three walked out of the room, and when they started traveling down the hallway and back to the elevator, the panels on the wall lit up. Instead of words automatically popping up, what appeared were red, ominous smiles for about 3 seconds until red text appeared. Frisk leaned in to read.

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 8_

_I've chosen a candidate. I haven't told Asgore yet, because I want to surprise him with it..._

_In the center of his garden, there's something special. The first golden flower, that grew before all the others. The flower from the outside world._ _It appeared just before the queen left._

_I wonder..._

_What happens when something without a soul gains the will to live?_

 

The words brought chills to Frisk's arms.

They stared the words for a long time, and then moved onto the next. Their other companions didn't utter a word—they were just as intrigued as Frisk.

 

_ENTRY NUMBER 18_

_the flower's gone._

 

Before anyone could say a thing, Frisk let out a silent gasp.

They threw off their backpack, struggling to tear it open with their shaking hands. Once the flap was finally pulled over, they opened it wide and practically dug their head inside.

Flowey was nowhere to be seen.

 

* * *

 

_Chara... are you there?_

_It's been a long time, hasn't it...?_

_But you've done well._

_Thanks to you, everything has fallen into place._

_Chara..._

_See you soon._

 

* * *

 

Frisk's heart felt heavy as they walked along the pathway to the castle, looking over the expanse of the monster city. It went along for miles.

Chara put a hand on their shoulder. Gaster put his on their head.

It didn't help.

 

* * *

 

Asgore's house was practically a complete replica of Toriel's in the Ruins.

The only difference was the second bed in one of the bedrooms. There was a drawing of a yellow flower beside the other bed. In the room were two items—a dagger and a locket.

Frisk leaned down and picked up the locket. Scripted onto the golden heart were the words _Best friends forever_.

" _Put it on,_ " Chara said solemnly, like it hurt.

So they did. It felt like it was beating against their chest.

 

* * *

 

In the golden hallway decorated with light, Sans stood on one side and Frisk on the other.

The entire situation felt uncomfortably familiar, except this time Frisk's clothes were clear of dust and in their hands was no horrifyingly-real knife. He stared at them with his same old grin, same old expression, but it felt different.

W. D. Gaster tensed up from their left. Chara stood tall on their right.

The bell began to chime.

"So you finally made it," a voice from nowhere seemed to speak. "The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you will meet the king. Together... you will determine the future of this world. That's then. Now. You will be judged. You will be judged for your every action. You will be judged for every EXP you've earned. What's EXP? It's an acronym. It stands for 'execution points'. A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stands for 'Level of Violence'. A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others."

Then Sans sighed. "... but you. you never gained any LOVE." He grinned at them, but it seemed cold. "'course, that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naive. just that you kept a certain tenderness in your heart. no matter the struggles or hardships you faced..." He glanced to the side, then turned to meet their gaze. "you strived to do the right thing. you refused to hurt anyone. even when you ran away, you did it with a smile. you never gained LOVE, but you gained love."

" _Ew_ ," Chara groaned under their breath.

"does that make sense? maybe not." Sans closed his eyes. "...now. you're about to face the greatest challenge of your entire journey. your actions here... will determine the fate of the entire world. if you refuse to fight, asgore will take your soul and destroy humanity. but if you kill asgore and go home... monsters will remain trapped underground." He gave Frisk a look they couldn't decipher. "what will you do?... well, if i were you, i would have thrown in the towel by now."

Gaster muttered something in a language they couldn't understand, sounding annoyed.

"but you didn't get this far by giving up, did you? that's right. you have something called 'determination'." The words made Frisk's eyes widen slightly. "so as long as you hold on... so as long as you do what's in your heart... i believe you can do the right thing." He closed his eyes, and laughed. "alright. we're all counting on you, kid." He winked. "good luck."

And then he disappeared, leaving Frisk feeling odd.

 

* * *

 

In the basement below the throne room sat seven coffins. One was scripted with Chara's name.

It was empty.

 

* * *

 

As Frisk stepped into the throne room, they were overwhelmed with the amount of flowers and grass inside. Chara walked in almost hesitantly, looking afraid to even step on the flowers. Gaster was completely silent, trailing behind the human children, observing from a distance.

Asgore was large, and had his back turned to them. He was humming a tune, sounding content and peaceful.

" _...Dad..._ " Chara breathed out slowly, their shoulders falling.

"Oh? Is someone there?" Asgore rumbled in a deep voice, making Chara squeak. "Just a moment! I have almost finished watering these flowers." He hummed a bit, and Frisk could hear the rushing of water. "Here we are!" he exclaimed, and turned around with a smile. "Howdy! How can I..."

His voice trailed off as his face morphed into realization, and Frisk winced.

He took a step back in shock, jaw dropped. "Oh..." he whispered, turning to the side. Then he hesitated before saying, "I so badly want to say, 'would you like a cup of tea'?"

Chara let out a bitter laugh.

"But... you know how it is." Asgore looked horribly conflicted. He stepped to the side, pacing back and forth. "Nice day today, huh?" he tried. "Birds are singing, flowers are blooming... Perfect weather for a game of catch!"

Frisk just stared at him, wanting to say something but unable to voice their words.

Asgore sighed deeply. "You know what we must do. When you are ready, come into the next room."

As soon as he started walking, Frisk followed in pursuit. The next room was much dimmer than the throne room.

"How tense..." Asgore murmured, and gave Frisk an awkward smile. "Just think of it as... a visit to the dentist."

Frisk and Chara both blanched. Gaster chuckled from behind them.

Frisk followed Asgore to the entrance of the barrier. They could see faint light from inside. He stepped inside, and what Frisk met was a sudden pulse of moving lights traveling into darkness. It was surreal, almost like it was fake. It almost looked like a hallway from a sci-fi film.

"This is the barrier," Asgore said, his back turned to Frisk. He was impossibly large compared to their small form. "This is what keeps us all trapped underground." He swallowed audibly, and Frisk could practically hear his nervousness. "If... by any chance you have unfinished business... please do what you must," he said, and it sounded like he was stalling.

Frisk just tugged on his cape.

"...I see," Asgore whispered, hanging his head. "This is it, then." He turned around, smile still in place, but his dark eyes were wet and threatening to spill. Chara looked the same way. "Ready?"

Seven containers suddenly rose from the ground, all containing a soul but one.

Frisk's soul shot out of their body, but Asgore didn't seem to notice the strangeness of it. A strange light filled the room, and twilight was shining through the barrier. Frisk supposed it was nighttime on the surface. They took a deep breath, staring up at Asgore with a heavy look.

"Human..." he rumbled. "It was nice to meet you." He even dared to smile, like they've been good friends for a long time. "Goodbye."

He lowered his head, but just before he could unsheathe whatever was underneath his cloak, a ball of fire suddenly appeared next to him. He looked shocked, but didn't have time to react before it was thrown at him and he was knocked to the side. Chara gasped, jumping up in concern.

Frisk turned, and their eyes widened once they saw Toriel standing there, giving Asgore an angry look. She rushed up to Frisk, kneeling down and putting her hands on their neck and shoulders.

"What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth..." she huffed, glaring over at Asgore, and then returned her attention to Frisk. "Do not be afraid, my child. It is I, Toriel, your friend and guardian." She smiled, kissing their forehead gently. "At first, I thought I would let you make your journey alone... But I could not stop worrying about you."

When Frisk looked down, Chara was crumpled on the floor, burying their face in their hands, mumbling something along the lines of _I'm sorry I'm sorry I killed you I'm sorry_. Frisk felt tempted to kneel down and hug them.

Toriel caught their attention by fussing to their wounds. "Your adventure must have been so treacherous." She frowned, furrowing her eyebrows. "And ultimately, it would burden you with a horrible choice. To leave this place, you would have to take the life of another person. You would have to defeat Asgore." Her expression softened. "However... I realized... I cannot allow that. It is not right to sacrifice someone simply to let someone leave here." Her voice was serious, yet strung with softness. "Is that not what I have been trying to prevent this whole time?"

Frisk tried to tell her that they've just been trying to free all monsters, but they couldn't voice their words and nobody could understand them. They nearly started to stomp their feet in frustration.

"So, for now, let us suspend this battle. As terrible as Asgore is... he deserves mercy, too."

Asgore crawled up to his feet, looking over at his ex-wife with pure adoration in his eyes. "Tori... You came back!"

Toriel clicked her tongue at him. "Do not 'Tori' me, Dreemurr!" she scolded. "You pathetic whelp. If you really wanted to free our kind... you could have gone through the barrier after you got ONE soul, taken six souls from the humans, then come back and freed everyone peacefully."

Chara's breath hitched from their place on the ground, and they glanced up lividly. " _We already tried that,_ " they hissed, but neither of their parents could hear them.

"But instead, you made everyone live in despair... because you would rather wait here, meekly hoping another human never comes."

Asgore gulped, looking away from her stern gaze. "...Tori..." he mumbled. "You're right... I am a miserable creature... but," he paused, and then, hopefully, asked, "do you think we can at least be friends again?"

Toriel sighed. "NO, Asgore."

They all jolted in surprise when Undyne suddenly slid into view, mouth curled into a furious smile. " _Ngaaaahhhh!!!!_ Asgore!! Human!! Nobody fight each other!!!" she declared, throwing her fists in the air. "Everyone's gonna make friends, or else I'll...!!! I'll..." Her declaration came to a standstill when her eyes caught Toriel.

"Hello, I am Toriel," she greeted, oblivious to Undyne's confusion. "Are you the human's friend? It is nice to meet you."

"Uh, yeah...?" Undyne replied unsurely, shifting her gaze to the side. "Nice to meet you!"

Frisk beamed at Undyne, and she sent them a smile back before walking up to Asgore and whispering, "Hey Asgore, is that your ex? Jeez. That's rough, buddy."

Asgore looked so devastated it was almost comical.

Alphys was the next to come. "Hey! N-nobody hurt each other!!!" she declared, and Frisk clapped their hands together excitedly. Things were taking a much better turn than they expected. Alphys looked like she was trying to say more, but she hesitated, and her face got red.

Toriel smiled sweetly. "Oh! Are you another friend? I am Toriel. Hello!"

" _Are they all coming?_ " Chara mumbled, picking themself up off the floor.

 _ **IT SEEMS SO**_ , Gaster signed as a reply, and Chara didn't even have the energy to tell him that it was a rhetorical question.

"Uh, h-h-hi!" Alphys stammered, fumbling with her fingers. She turned to Frisk with an incredulous expression and whisper-yelled, "THERE'S TWO OF THEM????"

Just as another figure stumbled into Alphys, Undyne caught her and gently set her down beside her. Frisk raised an eyebrow as the two blushed and started laughing nervously, before turning their attention to the next person who had barged in.

"HEY!! NOBODY FIGHT ANYONE!!" Papyrus declared, looking as dramatic as ever. Frisk gasped silently, eyes sparkling. "IF ANYONE FIGHTS ANYONE... THEN I'LL! BE FORCED! TO ASK UNDYNE FOR HELP!!!!!"

Chara laughed from Frisk's left, and even Gaster let out a small chuckle. Frisk giggled silently, beaming up at Papyrus. He patted their head with his large glove.

"Hello!" Toriel called, making Papyrus jump and remove his hand quickly.

"OH, HELLO, YOUR MAJESTY!" he replied towards her, and then turned back to Frisk, trying to lower his voice but failing nonetheless, "PSST! HEY, HUMAN... DID ASGORE SHAVE...?? AND... CLONE HIMSELF?????" He sounded beyond puzzled, and it only made the three laugh harder.

Sans poked his head out from behind Papyrus. "hey guys. what's up?" he asked casually, waving his hand.

"That voice...!" Toriel gasped, and walked over towards Sans (who was much shorter than her, and the height difference was amusing). "Hello, I think we may... know each other?"

"oh hey... i recognize your voice, too," Sans said with a smile.

"I am Toriel," she introduced softly, looking amazed. "So nice to meet you."

Sans winked, and Frisk heard Asgore make a strangled noise in the back of his throat. "the name's sans. and, uh, same."

Chara narrowed their eyes. " _Is he flirting with my mom...?_ "

Frisk couldn't help it—they started cackling, though their laughing had no sound, only wheezing.

"Oh! Wait, then!" Toriel exclaimed, and turned to Papyrus. "This must be your brother, Papyrus!" Said skeleton blushed in response. "Greetings, Papyrus! It is so nice to finally meet you! Your brother has told me so much about you!"

"WOWIE..." Papyrus breathed. "I CAN'T BELIEVE ASGORE'S CLONE KNOWS WHO I AM!!!! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!"

Chara snorted.

"Hey, Papyrus..." Toriel started, an idea forming visibly on her face. "What does a skeleton tile his roof with?"

" _Oh no,_ " Chara said, trying not to laugh any harder.

"HMM... SNOW-PROOF ROOF TILES?"

"No, silly!" Toriel chuckled. "A skeleton tiles his roof with... SHIN-gles!"

Papyrus' eyes went wide and he let out a furious roar. "I CHANGED MY MIND!!! THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!!"

"Come on, Asgore!" Undyne assured, trying to cheer up the crying Asgore. "It's gonna be okay! There are plenty of fish in the sea!"

"Y-yeah, Asgore!" Alphys agreed, clenching her fists. "Undyne's totally right about that fish thing! S-sometimes you've just got to, um... s-stop going after furry boss monsters and, uh... j-just get to know a really cute fish?" The room went so silent you could hear a pin drop. Alphys blanched, and quickly picked herself up, "Um... it's a metaphor."

Undyne smiled, looking down at Alphys with fondness in her eyes and tone, "Well... I think it's a good analogy."

Suddenly, appearing right in Papyrus' face, a leg decorated in a long, pink boot protruded out and pointed over at Alphys and Undyne. "OH MY GOD!" Mettaton shouted with a dramatic scoff. "WILL YOU TWO JUST _SMOOCH_ ALREADY!? THE AUDIENCE IS DYING FOR SOME ROMANTIC ACTION!!"

" _Tell me about it!_ " Chara gasped, and whirled around towards Frisk. " _I swear, if I see those two pining and eye-fucking each other again I'll hit them!_ "

Frisk blinked, tilting their head. _What's... eye-f_ —

Before they could finish their question, W. D. Gaster had slapped a hand over their mouth. They blinked in confusion, and when he shook his head at them, they simply nodded.

"HEY, SHUT UP!" Undyne yelled as Mettaton disappeared, face dark blue. "Man, the nerve of that guy! Right, Alphys!?" When said monster didn't respond, Undyne's blush only got deeper. "Uh, Alphys??"

Alphys was sweating all over the place, glancing around from side to side. "No," she finally said, taking a deep breath. "He's right. LET'S DO IT."

Chara let out a cheer.

Undyne's eyes went wide and she stumbled. You could see the question marks in her eyes. "Well???? Uh???? I guess???? If you want to???? Then????" she babbled out, and then cleared her throat nervously. "Don't hold anything back!!!"

Just as they leaned in and were about to meet, Toriel broke them up and stood between them, much to Chara's dismay (" _UGH, THEY WERE SO CLOSE. MOM WHY._ "). "W-wait!" she gasped. "Not in front of the human!"

Frisk just shrugged.

Their friends all gathered around them, each giving Frisk a gentle, friendly smile. Frisk blinked, feeling way too loved for someone as small and young as themself. It was weird.

"My child, it seems as if you must stay here for a while," Toriel said, and Frisk let the tension in their shoulders fall. "But looking at all the great friends you have made... I think... I think you will be happy here."

She smiled, and Frisk beamed back at all of them.

"H-hey, that reminds me..." Alphys spoke up softly. "Papyrus, _you_ called everyone here, right? Well, besides, uh, her," Alphys nudged her head towards Toriel. "Uh, anyway... If I got here before you... How did you know how to call everybody?"

"LET'S JUST SAY..." Papyrus said. "A TINY FLOWER HELPED ME."

Alphys' confused look morphed to one of terror. "A tiny... flower?"

All of their faces were blank, some confused, one plastered with fear.

But then they were met with expressions of horror as a single, thick vine coated with thorns wrapped around each of them. Frisk met their expressions with one of their own, and they threw their hands over their mouth as they fell backwards in shock.

And then Flowey appeared, protruding from the ground, and Frisk knew they were shaking.

"You IDIOTS," he cackled, and it was almost like was directing it mostly to Frisk. "While you guys were having your little pow-wow, I took the human souls!" He grinned, smile more terrifying than Frisk had ever seen before. "And now, not only are THOSE under my power... but all of your FRIENDS' souls are gonna be mine, too!"

 _He was never my friend_ , Frisk murmured out in horrified realization, the thought projection going to nobody in particular.

Flowey giggled, leaning in closer. Frisk crawled away from him. "And you know what the best part is?" he whispered, voice dropping. "It's all your fault. It's all because you _made them_ love you."

_No no I-I didn't I... I didn't—_

"All the time you spent listening to them... encouraging them... caring about them..." His giggling was getting more and more deformed and demonic. "Without that, they wouldn't have come here."

 _I don't want to hurt anyone I didn't mean to it's all my fault I made them die I'm_ —

"And now, with their souls and the humans' together..." He leaned up, his stem reaching taller than Frisk and looming over them threateningly. "I will achieve my REAL FORM."

Frisk sniffled. They knew they were crying. They lifted their hand, and signed a single question.

Flowey halted, and then grinned. "Huh? WHY am I still doing this?" He shook his head like they were stupid. "Don't you get it? This is all just a GAME. If you leave the underground satisfied, you'll _win_ the game. If you _win_ , you won't want to _play_ with me anymore. And what would I do then?" He saw their tears, and the snot trailing down their face, and the following cackle was the most terrifying of them all. "You thought we were FRIENDS? You thought I LIKED being around you all this time? HAHAHA!! Don't be _ridiculous_."

He leered in further.

"This _game_ between us will never end. I'll hold victory in front of you, _just_ within your reach... _and then tear it away just before you grasp it. Over, and over, and over..._ " His smile began to deform, and his face seemed to sink. "Listen. If you _do_ defeat me, I'll give you your _happy ending._ I'll bring your friends back. I'll destroy the barrier. Everyone will finally be satisfied." Flowey glanced up at his victims. "But that WON'T happen."

 _He was lying all this time he never cared about me or liked me he was just using me to get to the souls that's why he kept pushing me to the castle it's all my fault for bringing him here what do I do what do I do_ —

Frisk inhaled sharply when there was a pressure against their back. Chara was holding them tightly from behind, glaring at Flowey so hard that if looks could kill he'd be dust on the ground. Gaster stood protectively behind the two, ready to fight at any moment.

"I'll keep you here no matter what!" Flowey declared, looking way too smug and proud of himself. He slid off to the side, took one look at Frisk's soul, and then encased their entire being with an endless amount of white bullets. " _Even if it means killing you 1,000,000 times._ "

He laughed, louder and louder and louder, as each set of bullets hit their soul and their body. Frisk gasped, doubling over, feeling them piercing into their body. Pain shot all through their muscles and nerves, and they pressed their forehead against the floor as row by row hit them at full force. Chara and Gaster were trying their best to deflect them, but due to their nonexistence in the physical realm, all they could do was watch.

Just as Frisk was on the brink of death, their vision blurring and turning dark, the last circle of white pellets was blocked by a circle of fire. The action made Flowey pause in confusion.

From her place struggling in the vines, Toriel smiled, face twisted in pain. "Do not be afraid, my child... No matter what happens, we will always be there to protect you!"

The declaration made Frisk feel slightly better. They picked their face up off the ground to look up at their friends. Flowey snarled, giving an angry smile as he let another row of pellets come at each side. However, a bone and an arrow blocked each one, and Frisk blinked.

"THAT'S RIGHT, HUMAN!! YOU CAN WIN!!" Papyrus shouted, looking like he was trying to pump his fist but unable due to his entanglement. "JUST DO WHAT I, WOULD DO... BELIEVE IN YOU!!"

"Hey! Human!" Undyne called, biting and tugging on the vines as her muscles strained. "If you got past ME, you can do ANYTHING!!!" She gave a struggled smile. "So don't worry! We're with you all the way!!"

"huh? you haven't beaten this guy yet?" Sans asked, looking exasperated. "come on, this weirdo's got nothin' on you."

Frisk let out a heaved breath, pushing themself up with their arms. Their arms trembled as they tried to support their weight, and eventually made it to their hands and knees. A strange power coursed through them; they weren't sure how to explain it.

More pellets tried to come at them, but blazes of electricity and fire deflected it from either side. Frisk's eyes went wide in astonishment, and their mouth parted in surprise when they felt the pain in their body lessen and lessen slowly.

"Technically, it's impossible for you to beat him..." Alphys breathed. "B-but, somehow... I know you can do it!"

"Human, for the future of humans and monsters...!" Asgore struggled to say, his body caught up in the most vines compared to them all. "You have to stay determined...!"

Frisk coughed, hacking, and forced themself to climb to their feet. They hunched over, holding their stomach and sides, and gave Flowey an angry glare. For a nine-year old, the glare seemed to work, for Flowey scooted back slightly.

Monsters from everywhere piled in, shouting words of encouragement and excitement, all cheering for Frisk and their success. All being _supportive_ and grateful and _happy_ that Frisk was actually _there_ —

And then they were crying, because nobody had ever been happy to have them there.

Flowey was hiding and popping up everywhere as each monster rushed in, his face getting more and more scared by the minute. "Urrghh... _NO!_ " he shouted, desperate. "Unbelievable! This _can't_ be happening...!! You... YOU...!!" He stopped, and then his terrified look was replaced with a menacing grin.

He had won.

"I can't believe you're all so STUPID."

Frisk, eyes wide, nearly screamed silently as the world began to shake and crumble around them.

" _ALL OF YOUR SOULS ARE MINE!!!_ "

 

* * *

 

Darkness. All around. The only thing contrasting it were Frisk, their companions, and the figure standing in front of them with its back turned.

A small, white creature, wearing a striped shirt that looked similar to Chara's, looked side to side before curling and uncurling his fingers. He rolled his shoulders, as if testing his body.

"Finally," he said. "I was so tired of being a flower."

Frisk heard Chara suck in their breath once the creature turned around, a bright smile on his face.

" _Asriel..._ " Chara whispered, voice shaking.

"Howdy!" Asriel greeted with a wave, and his eyes looked teary. "Chara, are you there? It's me... your best friend..."

There was a whirling noise, and suddenly the cute and innocent Asriel had shifted into a horrifying monster with long horns and black adorning his face.

 

**_A S R I E L  D R E E M U R R._ **

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic was supposed to be a oneshot
> 
>  
> 
> [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> * There is a prophecy. 
> 
> * The Angel... The One Who Has Seen The Surface... 
> 
> * They will return. 
> 
> * And the underground will go empty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXZaXtYW-Gc)

Chara was breathless. Frisk could see everything on their face—the realization, the horror, the relief—all poured into one single, appalled expression. And then it all changed suddenly, and their jaw clicked and locked into an angry sneer.

" _That little flower BITCH!_ " they shouted, stomping their foot against the ground, shaking their head when the blackness around them all began to turn into a colorful rainbow spiel. " _I REFUSED to believe that it was Asriel. BECAUSE HE WASN'T._ "

Frisk furrowed their eyebrows, forcing themself to catch their breath. _Wait... you knew? The entire time?_

Chara looked like they were on the verge of tears. " _N-no, I..._ " They paused, biting their lip. " _I... guess I always knew. That the flower had some... essence of him. But... it didn't have his soul, so it... wasn't really..._ " They let out a final huff, giving Frisk and Gaster angry looks they assumed weren't actually directed towards them. " _That flower never had Asriel's soul, so it wasn't him. Just a soulless demon. Like me._ "

 _You're not soulless_ , Frisk protested, and when Chara didn't say anything, they pointed to their own floating soul—fused with both Chara's soul fragments and Gaster's. Chara stared at it for a moment, and then tore their eyes away, instead choosing to look at Asriel.

Asriel couldn't see them. Asriel couldn't see Gaster either. The only one he could see was Frisk, and his gaze was fixed directly upon them.

Frisk glared at him with determination settled in their eyes.

Asriel grinned, lifting his arms, and bright lights shaped like stars protruded from his fingertips. In a split second, he was gone, and taking his place were giant stars hurdling straight towards them. Frisk gasped, jumping to move out of the way, and once the giant stars hit the ground they exploded in smaller stars that were faster and harder to avoid. Once Frisk managed to only get hit once or twice, one final, gigantic one settled across the ground. Dozens of tiny stars came flying towards them, and they pierced through their skin like it was nothing. They gasped, hunching over, holding their stomach, and tried to catch their breath. Chara was behind them, trying to help them get back to their feet.

Frisk turned to look at their companions. _I can't do this alone._

Chara and Gaster nodded in unison. Then, in a moment of silence, Frisk saw Chara's wispy body disappear and then their presence fill up their own. They were pushed back, deep, deep into their mind but not quite gone. In their body was Chara, standing like it was a glove. From the limited view they had, they could see their left eye turn fully red, and the right eye become an odd half-and-half mix of blue and brown.

Gaster had his hands out in front of him, seemingly ready to strike with whatever power he had. Frisk shot their hand out, startling Chara and nearly making them fade out for a moment, and took his with their tiny, dark one. When he gave them a weird look, they shook their head.

They opened their mouth, and felt Chara try to speak but the attempt made their throat burn like it was on fire. They hissed, throwing a hand to their neck, and shook their head at Gaster again. _Don't hurt him_ , they managed between pulses of pain.

Gaster made a sound that seemed like a sigh, and nodded.

There was a chuckle from above, and they all turned to see Asriel shaking his head down at them. "You know..." he started, and his voice boomed in the endless wave of colors and light, "I don't care about destroying this world anymore."

Frisk let out a slow breath, Chara lifting their (Frisk's) arm to wipe at their mouth. Asriel faded out a bit, and from the sky came multiple bright lights. Lasers. They came shooting down, sparking and startling Frisk so bad they fell over, unknowingly into one of the dead zones. The laser came down unexpectedly, hitting them at full force, and if they could've screamed they would've. It hurt, it hurt oh so bad, and they were writhing against the ground.

Chara exhaled through their nose and forced Frisk's body to get up, despite the pain, and rolled out of the way of the next set of lasers.

 ** _COME HITHER, CHILD_** , they saw Gaster sign out of the corner of their eyes, and turned. Gaster went up to them and knelt, placing his hands atop their chest and stomach. Immediately, it felt like all their wounds were wasting away, and they gazed up at their companion in awe. Gaster suddenly looked as if he was frowning as he held up his hands, _**I DO NOT BELIEVE I HAVE THE POWER TO DO THAT EVERY TIME YOU GET INJURED. BE CAREFUL, CHILDREN.**_

 _We will_ , Frisk and Chara both said at the same time, and shared a grin.

"After I defeat you and gain total control over the timeline..." Asriel said as Chara picked themself and Frisk up to give him a determined stare, "I just want to reset everything."

Chara narrowed their (Frisk's) eyes, clenching their fists. _This isn't how Asriel acts_ , they breathed.

 _It's the souls_ , Frisk said.

 _There has to be a way to change him back_ , Chara prompted. _Like... like how you changed me._

Frisk blinked in shock, their mouth parting. They wanted to say something, but they weren't sure what. It was too late to try and say anything, though.

Asriel descended, colors swirling all around him like it was dancing, looking as terrifying yet as soft as ever. He was gigantic compared to Frisk. Asriel's arms went behind his back and from behind him came two large swords with black handles and curved silver blades. His head tilted from side to side as each one came down towards them. Chara went into action—they ducked before one could even get close to their head. The other was coming swiftly from the side, so they threw themself down on the ground and rolled to avoid it, jumping back on their feet and bounding to just barely escape the next attack.

Asriel looked irritated, and the swords disappeared, the only thing left behind being tiny white sparkles that looked suspiciously like friendliness pellets. They circled them, twinkling menacingly, and when they came crashing down on their body and their soul it hurt so bad that their soul split into two—

—but then it refused.

They were still standing, as if nothing had happened, and Asriel's expression was unreadable. Chara tried to tell Frisk, but all that came out was an amazed scoff. Frisk sounded just as in awe as them.

 _We can do this_ , Frisk said firmly.

Chara smiled, and even though it wasn't their body and wasn't their feeling, a wave of determination was flooding their veins. _We can do this._

Asriel made an angry noise that sounded like a snarl. "All your progress... everyone's memories... I'll bring them all back to zero!" he growled, an unsightly grin taking the place of his sneer.

He rose his hands, and the lasers were back. But Chara was in there with them this time, and they were much better at maneuvering Frisk's body than Frisk was. Every time they stepped on what seemed to be a dead zone, they jerked away just before it struck the ground. It was almost like they were dancing across the glittering ground, feet barely touching the ground and only touching when they needed to jump again. That attack, they took little damage, and they came out of it feeling better than before.

They really _could_ do this.

Frisk and Chara shared their grin and thoughts. _Take THAT, Mom and Dad._

"Then we can do everything ALL over again!" Asriel shouted, his words followed by a cackle, and stars followed that laughter.

The stars were even stronger this time. Frisk was in charge, mostly ducking across the ground. They even dared to jump onto one mini-star in order to leap over a bigger one. While Gaster was in the back trying to deflect as many tiny ones as possible away, most of them came hurdling towards Frisk's body.

Oh, if only Asriel knew of the help they were getting.

"And you know what the best part is?" he jeered, his black eyes narrowing into slits. "You'll DO it."

His left arm suddenly transformed into what looked like a gun, and with each beep of it came bullets. A row of them managed to pierce through Frisk's chest before they even knew what was happening, and they gasped in pain. Stumbling to the ground, the next rows were coming through and gaining—but then they never hit. When Frisk looked up, Gaster was in front, shielding them from the pain they would have surely experienced. The bullets were being absorbed into his gooey body, and Asriel looked confused for a second. But then his body glitched and they went straight through him, and Frisk let out a garbled squeal before whirling to the side. Gaster's eyes were as wide as they could be as he turned around, jumping to Frisk's side.

He said something in a language Frisk couldn't understand, and they guessed that he was trying to apologize. They waved him off, holding their stomach and forcing themself to their feet. Chara stepped in, managing to steady Frisk's body.

"And then you'll lose to me again," Asriel said, almost in a whisper, and drew his two sabers from behind his back.

Chara cursed under their breath.

He got up close, whipping their blade to the side where it smacked against Frisk's cheek, sending them flying. They skidded across the ground, rolling onto their stomach pathetically.

Asriel grinned. "And again."

He stepped closer, until he was hovering over Frisk's fallen body. Chara urged Frisk to stand, still not fully in control, but Frisk was such in a daze that it was difficult for them to even focus. They groaned against the ground, their shaking arms struggling to even move, and then Asriel lifted his swords and dug both straight through their body.

Their soul shattered—

"AND AGAIN!!!"

—and then put itself back together.

All of a sudden, they felt better, and when they jumped up to stand up slowly, Asriel was flying and laughing above them as if nothing had happened. They blinked, looking down at their hands, and let out a slow breath. Their throat was burning, but they ignored it.

Asriel shook his head. "Because you want a 'happy ending'." _For all of us._ "Because you 'love your friends'." _I do, and I love you too._ "Because you 'never give up'." _No I don't, and I'm never going to give up on you either._

Frisk wasn't sure if it was them or Chara saying all these things.

The gun was back, and its aim was more precise and accurate with every bullet that came out of it. Frisk jumped to the side in shock, and felt Chara slip in just before they could fall on top of another bullet. They leaped over one, dashing across the ground and sliding as if they were getting a home run to duck underneath another set.

Asriel snickered, like the entire thing was all a big joke. "Isn't that _delicious?_ Your 'determination,' the power that let you get this far..." He lifted his arms, and the bright lights of the lasers appeared above them. "It's gonna be your downfall!"

They came crashing down all at once, too fast too sudden, and Frisk gave a choked cry as they were caught right in the middle of one. It hurt, the pain was unbearable, but they forced themself to run as a large tsunami of lasers continuously blasted towards them, until they were only given just a split second to dodge to avoid the last one. Chara jolted into action, ignoring the agony and blood they were sure was there, and threw their arms down as they skidded backwards to step out of a dead zone. They watched the last laser scorch the ground with a barbed grin, curling and stretching out their fingers. Their vision was getting shaky—the entire situation was so overwhelming it was almost hilarious.

Asriel huffed, and then forced a large grin that could have rivaled Chara's. "Now, ENOUGH messing around!"

 _We're going to bring him back!!_ Frisk shouted before the bloodlust that clouded Chara's vision overtook them. _We're going to save everyone!!_

Chara didn't react when Frisk pushed them out of the way and fit themself into their own body. They just laughed.

"It's time to purge this timeline once and for all!" Asriel shook his head, and suddenly it was black.

The only thing that appeared was something that looked like Asriel's face, except there was black dripping all around it. The giant head laughed, and the rumble made Frisk trip over their own two feet. The ground began to vibrate as the face opened its mouth wide, and bright white lights were hurdling towards the center of the head's mouth. Frisk dodged them, even though they weren't sure if they were supposed to, and all the movement and blurriness and shaking was making them feel nauseous. They stumbled, falling to their knees and holding themself up with their arms. They felt bile rise in their throat, but then it left, and Frisk exhaled shakily. The weird lights were still coming, and Frisk curled up and wrapped their arms over their head to shield themself.

Then everything went white.

When their vision was back and colors were dancing everywhere, Asriel was standing there with an annoyed, yet thoughtful expression on his face. "...even after that attack, you're still standing in my way...?" he mumbled wistfully, almost as if it was to himself. Then he laughed, throwing his head back, and made his voice louder, "Wow... You really ARE something special."

 ** _HE'S PLANNING SOMETHING_** , Gaster signed.

Chara rolled their eyes through Frisk's body. _Yeah, no shit._

"But don't get cocky," Asriel suddenly said. "Up until now, I've only been using a fraction of my REAL power!"

Chara blanched. _This is just like when we played role-playing games and got to make our own characters. He called his the God of Hyperdeath or something._

Frisk pursed their lips. _Cool name._

_Yeah, it is._

"Let's see what good your determination is against THIS!"

The world suddenly expanded and shrunk at the same time, and everything was dark for what seemed like forever.

And then it got darker, and the only figure standing ahead of them was Asriel—

—his body completely changed. His horns were longer, his teeth sharper, grin wider. His wings were terrifying and continuously changing colors, mesmerizing and horrifying.

Chara gaped. _Holy fucking shit._

 _What?_ Frisk asked, confused.

 _That's it. The God of Hyperdeath—holy SHIT. HAHAHAHAHA!!!_ They burst into laughter, despite the absurdity of the situation. _HE ACTUALLY DID IT OHOHO MY GOD—_

 _CHARA_ , Frisk scolded.

Chara eventually calmed down, but Frisk could still hear them snickering. They felt Gaster's presence behind them and tried to turn to face him, but they couldn't move their body. No matter what they did, they were still. Immobile. Anxiety creeped up their spine, and made their breath catch in their throat.

Asriel laughed, his voice echoing through the unsettling darkness. "Behold my TRUE power!!"

When he lifted his arms, beams of colorful lights came crashing towards them, and they couldn't do a thing about. It seemed like Asriel had gotten sick of all their dodging, and they were rendered useless as each beam hit them at full force. They felt their soul shake, threatening to shatter.

"I can feel it..." Asriel hissed, his large hands coming up to cup their soul, holding it delicately, but in his eyes it looked like wanted to crush it. "Every time you die, your grip on this world slips away. Every time you die, your friends forget you a little more."

It was like the entire world was ending all around them.

Asriel's eyes bored into theirs. "Your life will end here, in a world where no one remembers you."

Panic. They felt panic. They thrashed but they didn't, they struggled but they didn't—they couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't breathe. All they could do was watch as Asriel continued to play with their life in his hands.

"Still, you're hanging on?" he asked, and then smirked. "That's fine. In a few moments, you'll forget everything too."

 _Frisk, calm down_ , they heard Chara say but it sounded distant. _We're going to do this. We're going to succeed._ When it didn't work, they paused, and spoke up again, only quieter this time. _You have to stay determined._

It struck a chord with them, and they took a deep breath, forcing their eyes to meet Asriel's, no matter how scary it was.

He only laughed at them. "That attitude will serve you well in your next life!"

Then he squeezed their soul, and it shattered—

—only to come back together in a moment.

Frisk wheezed, their throat burning and chest tightening. Every muscle in their body was being strained and it was all too much to handle. They struggled again, but nothing happened. Then, they paused, and tried to reach for their reset power—the saving and loading, as Chara called it. But it didn't work, and nothing happened. They tried again, but nothing happened.

They felt all hope slip from their grip, and then they picked it back up and shoved it down their throat.

Maybe, with what little power they had left, they could save something else.

They closed their eyes, and when they opened them, their friends were standing in a circle all around them and Asriel. Their faces were blocked out by white—what looked like pixels—glitching and hiding them. Frisk took a deep breath, felt themself roll their shoulders, and rushed over towards the first one they saw.

Toriel and Asgore were standing side by side, looking as solemn as ever. They were mumbling to themselves, Toriel's hands encased in fire and Asgore holding his trident in two hands.

Frisk glanced at each Lost Soul before stepping up to Toriel. She didn't move an inch as they got close, but she jolted once Frisk wrapped their arms around her in a tight hug. She seemed to hesitate.

" _T͡h̸͞ís̛ ͜į̶͘s̢͡ f͢oŕ̵ ̶yo͟ur ͟͠o̴͘͢w̴̶̨n͢ ģ̸̀oo͘d._ "

Suddenly there was a hand pulling them back, and Frisk looked up to Gaster in shock for a moment before realizing that balls of fire were coming directly at them. They stepped to the side, ducking to avoid the rings, and glanced frantically between their two trapped friends.

They ran up to hug her again, but when it did nothing except result in another attack, they stood their ground and glared at her. They refused to move, refused to fight, and each Lost Soul seemed almost surprised. More fireballs came, so Frisk ran up and threw their arms around Asgore—except Chara slipped into control for a moment to hug their dad, squeezing tighter and tighter.

Then, arms were hugging them back, and they looked up to see Asgore's face smiling down at them.

"You are our future," he said, patting their head.

Frisk looked over at Toriel, and she was beaming. They stepped away from both of them, taking a deep breath, and when they faded away with a twinkle, Frisk turned back towards Asriel. He was still standing there, looking menacing and scary, but they gulped down their fears and decided to head onto the next pair of Lost Souls.

Sans and Papyrus.

Gaster was next to them this time, his eyes focused on both skeletons. Frisk raised an eyebrow at him, and when they turned to the side, Chara was standing there too. They didn't even feel it when they had slipped out of their body. Chara noticed Frisk's stare and turned, and then flashed a toothy grin at them. Frisk beamed back, and then turned to their friends with a determined expression.

Frisk lifted their hands, and signed a bad joke about skeletons. Sans seemed to love it, but Papyrus seemed to hate it. Frisk narrowed their eyes—had they been able to understand what they were saying the entire time?

 _"j͘u̷͠s̷͜͢t́ ̧̢̀g͏i͝v̴͞e ̷̛ù̢p,_ " Sans grumbled, his voice static. " _i̡ ̶̡d͢͡i̵̴͡d͏.҉҉_ "

Bones were flying at them from all directions, and the situation was uncomfortably familiar to both Frisk and Chara, but they powered through it. After managed to bring back Sans with a few more puns, Papyrus came back only to scream about how the jokes were totally not funny.

"NO!! WAIT!! YOU'RE MY FRIEND!!!" Papyrus exclaimed in realization once he realized what he was doing. "I COULD NEVER CAPTURE YOU!!!"

Frisk gasped happily, eyes sparkling, and threw their arms up in the air in excitement. They waved as the two disappeared, saved, and they whirled around to see Undyne's concealed face hovering directly over them. They jumped backwards, gasping, and she assumed a fighting position that she apparently wanted them to mimic.

Unsure of what to do, Frisk clenched their tiny fist into a ball and tapped Undyne's stomach lightly, as a fake-hit. She didn't even move a muscle, but she glanced down, as if confused. Chara sighed from behind them, shaking their head.

" _Á͟l̡͏l̛ ̛͠͡h͏͏u̶m̧̕a̕n̢̢̕s͜͠͝ ̴w̵̧͢i̶l͏́l͠ ̨̨͡d̷͡i̸͡͞e̵̶!̢́!̢_ " Undyne screamed, materializing a spear in her hands and charging at them.

She pushed against their arms they threw up, sending them nearly stumbling backwards, but they kept their feet planted on the ground as she pushed against them. The spear threatened to tear into them, but all they did was give Undyne the biggest smile they could.

" _Y͠͡҉ou'͡ŗe ҉͜o̡̡͏ų͟r͞ ̵͟r͏̷҉é̸̷a̢̕͜l̶͘ ͡e̛n͘͞e̡͞m̷̵̛y!͘!̢_ " Undyne bellowed, but Frisk's smile only got wider and wider. Undyne made a weird noise, jumping back with her spear close to her, and then suddenly the whiteness covering her face was gone and she was staring at Frisk with wide eyes.

The spear disappeared and a smile quickly overtook her features. "Well, some humans are okay, I guess!" she laughed.

As she disappeared, smile in place, Frisk took a deep breath. They turned, facing the final Lost Soul in their wake.

Alphys was dressed in her pretty dress, and she looked sad and defeated already. Frisk carefully stepped up to her, not sure what to do. They couldn't speak, couldn't ask her anything, and it rendered them speechless with their mouth open. Never had they wished for their vocal ability more than now.

Frisk opened their palm, pretending it was like a TV screen, and pressed their fingers against it, scrolling down. The Lost Soul looked confused, but when Frisk pointed more urgently and pointed to her, she appeared to realize that Frisk was asking her what her favorite cartoon was. She began to sweat, like it was a struggle to hold back from answering.

Alphys shook. " _Y̢̢ou͟҉ ḩa͜͡t͜͏e͠͏ ̶̡͞me̕,̨́ ҉́dơ̧n̴̛'t͝ ̛͢y̢͟o̸u...̶?̧_ "

Frisk shook their head quickly, but Alphys wasn't paying attention. They awaited an attack, but there weren't any. Nothing. Confused, they looked up, down, side-to-side, and all around—but still, nothing came. So they turned back to Alphys, who was hanging her head, and threw their arms around her. They wanted to tell her how great she was, how grateful they were to have her as a friend, but they couldn't, so they mixed all their feelings with their hug.

Alphys' body began to shake, and when Frisk looked up, she had tears in her eyes.

"N-no... that's not true! My friends like me!" she gasped. "And I like you, too!" She hugged them back, even squatting down a bit just for them to wrap around her comfortably, and shared an embrace for what seemed like forever.

When they finally split apart and she faded away, Frisk took a few steps back and glanced all around. There was nobody left to save, no more Lost Souls with faces covered in white, no more—

Strangely, as their friends began to remember them, something else was pulsing and resonating within Asriel. He didn't seem to notice, but it was getting stronger and stronger and stronger.

They paused, and realized. Before they could do anything, Chara shoved past them, their arm outstretched.

" _ASRIEL!!_ "

Asriel's eyes went wide. "Huh!? What are you doing...!?"

 

* * *

 

_A figure falls onto the ground. Dust and dirt scatters all around._

_Another figure walks up, and his eyes widen at the dust._

_The human picks themself up automatically, but struggles._

_So he reaches out to save them the trouble._

_He takes them home to be safe in bed._

_And he pats their soft, injured head._

_Eventually they're invited to join the family, and everyone rejoices._

_He wonders if the human regrets their choices._

_But it's okay; everyone is happy now, at least for a while._

_The human buries their face in the flowers to hide their smile._

 

* * *

 

Frisk stared, their eyes suddenly feeling watery. When they turned, Chara was staring at the ground—maybe to hide their watery eyes, too.

Asriel gasped from above them, stumbling backwards. "Wh... What did you do...?" He shook his head rapidly, closing his eyes. "What's this feeling...? What's happening to me?"

 _Chara_ , Frisk said softly. _It's working._

Chara finally looked up, and they were right—their eyes are watery.

Frisk took another step forward, expression soft. They wanted to hug him, but they weren't sure they could reach that high.

"No!" Asriel protested, throwing his arms out in front of him. "NO!! I don't need ANYONE!!"

More beams of light came hurdling down, but Frisk didn't do anything to dodge them. They just stepped forward, using their arms to shield their face. With every step they took, it was like they were only getting further and further away from Asriel.

Chara walked up beside Frisk, and in a moment, they disappeared. Frisk let themself fall behind, and Chara stepped into their body like a pair of jeans. They pulled up the zipper, and began walking forward towards their brother.

"STOP IT!! Get away from me!!" Asriel kept protesting and protesting, but Chara wouldn't stop. They kept walking. "Do you hear me!? I'll tear you apart!" The beams of light came again, but there were less this time, and they almost seemed to be avoiding them.

Frisk only watched from a different view as Chara stopped, just as Asriel panted and sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

Asriel was quiet for a moment, and then he turned his head. "Chara..." he whispered, except he didn't know that it was actually _them_ and they were actually _there_ , "do you know why I'm doing this...? Why I keep fighting to keep you around?"

There was another attack, except this time it was only fireballs similar to Toriel's—and they rained gently on either side of Chara, not even coming close to touching them. The onslaught of emotions was all to powerful, and Frisk felt that they themself, as well as Chara, were on the verge of tears.

"I'm doing this..." Asriel whispered, and his voice cracked, "because you're _special_ , Chara. You're the only one that _understands_ me."

Chara's breath caught in their throat, and they moved forward slightly.

"You're the only one who's any fun to play with anymore." Asriel stopped, looking down at the blackness, and then up into Chara's (Frisk's) eyes. "No. That's not JUST it. I... I..." He hesitated, and for a moment Frisk swore they could see a black tear raining from his eye. "I'm doing this because I _care_ about you, Chara! I care about _you_ more than _anybody_ else!"

And then Chara was crying. Soft, hesitantly, unsurely, but the tears were piling over slowly. One by one.

The fireballs rained down as quietly as Chara's tears.

"I'm not ready for this to end," Asriel growled lowly, sounding defeated but strong (what an odd combination). "I'm not ready for you to leave. I'm not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again."

Chara's bottom lip quivered. _I'm sorry_ , they tried to say but couldn't say a word. Frisk could feel their anger and frustration and regret.

Asriel began to wail, much like a child. "So, please..." he whimpered. "STOP doing this!! AND JUST LET ME WIN!!!!"

He threw his arms up and then back down, releasing a large wave of bright, colorful light that burned their skin and sent them flying back. Chara rolled onto their stomach, gritting their teeth, and held onto the black nothingness as support.

"STOP IT!!"

Squinting their eyes, they could see Asriel's crying getting stronger and stronger.

"STOP IT _NOW!!_ "

The beam only got bigger and bigger and they were being pushed back and it was like a heavy wind. Their entire body blossomed with pain and their soul was about to shatter at any moment, but when they looked up to check it, it was being held together with black goo, and Gaster gave them a gentle smile from his place beside their soul.

The beam suddenly stopped, and their entire body was quivering. Frisk, now back in control, gripped the floor above them and dragged themself forward. Their legs felt like jelly and they knew they wouldn't be able to stand.

"Chara..." they heard Asriel whisper.

Frisk gritted their teeth and grunted as they pushed themself forward, trying anything they could to get to Asriel. They were in agonizing pain, every nerve of their body was screaming and their muscles were begging them to stop—but they didn't.

"I'm so alone, Chara..."

Determined, they pushed forth.

"I'm so afraid, Chara..."

Their body was failing them, their vision going dark.

"Chara, I..."

Frisk collapsed to the ground, immobile, and panted against the floor. Their body felt hot and cold at the same time.

"I..."

And then, suddenly, they were standing and they felt just fine. Across from them stood Asriel, except, he was a child. He was crying, rubbing his eyes and sniffling and shifting in place.

"I'm so _sorry_ ," he whimpered, voice cracking with each wail.

Frisk darted around frantically, and to their relief, Chara and Gaster were standing on either side of them. They couldn't read Gaster's expression, but Chara's feelings were written all over their face.

Asriel lifted his head, fur still wet with tears, and smiled brokenly. "I always was a crybaby, wasn't I, Chara?" he laughed, like it could melt all his problems, and then his smile fell. "...I know. You're not really Chara. Chara's been gone for a long time." He shifted on each foot. "You're Frisk. You've _always_ been Frisk."

Frisk smiled softly, and nodded.

"Frisk..." Asriel said, as if testing the name on his tongue even though he's said it before. "I haven't felt like this for a long time. As a flower, I was soulless. I-I lacked the power to love other people." His expression only turned sadder. "However, with everyone's souls inside me... I not only have my own compassion back, but I can feel every other monster's as well." His smile was deafening.

Frisk looked over at Chara in concern; they refused to say a word.

"They all care about each other _so_ much," Asriel continued, voice soft, as if he couldn't believe it. He clasped his hands together and put them to his chest, closing his eyes to revel in the feeling. "And... they care about _you_ too, Frisk. I wish I could tell you how everyone feels about you. Papyrus... Sans... Undyne... Alphys..." He paused, eyes wet. "...Toriel." Then he chuckled. "Monsters are weird."

Funny. Frisk almost felt like laughing. A bunch of monsters who barely knew them cared about them, much more than the monsters back at home. All of a sudden, they felt sad. But they knew they had no right to.

"Even though they _barely_ know you..." Asriel said, as if he were reading their thoughts, "it feels like they all _really_ love you."

It was a feeling Frisk had never really experienced before. Love. None of it had ever been directed towards them. Then they knew they were crying, and they didn't wipe it away. They just stared, watched Asriel with sad eyes.

"Frisk... I..." he said, and stammered, "I understand if you can't forgive me. I understand if you hate me." His words were so serious and said so genuinely that it made Frisk cry more. They heard Chara stifle a sob, too. "I acted so strange and horrible... I _hurt_ you. I hurt _so_ many people. Friends, family, bystanders... There's _no_ excuse for what I've done."

As he gave Frisk a hard look, they swallowed down whatever noise threatened to leave their throat, and held up their hands. **I forgive you.**

Asriel's eyes went wide in shock, and Frisk smiled—all those sign language lessons for Flowey had paid off. "Wh... what?" he whispered, stepping backwards. "...Frisk, come on. You're... You're gonna make me cry again." He tried to make it into a joke, but both Frisk and Chara knew that he was being serious. "...besides, even if you do forgive me... I can't keep these souls inside me." He gripped his shirt at his chest, looking downwards at his feet. "The least I can do is return them." He took a deep breath, and gave Frisk a determined look. "But first... there's something I have to do. Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts beating as one. They're all burning with the same desire. With everyone's power... with everyone's determination... it's time for monsters..."

Frisk's eyes widened.

"...to finally go free."

Asriel closed his eyes, lifted his arms, and his feet began to lift off from the ground. He floated in mid air, face set into an adamant grimace. The six human souls and thousands upon thousands of monster souls escaped from behind him, flying all around and spinning and hovering up towards the air in a whirlwind of white. Frisk stepped back and grounded themself to keep from falling over, their eyes glued to the scene above them. And then all the white souls and color souls morphed into one bright light and in the distance there was a crash—

And the barrier was destroyed.

Frisk watched, breathless, as Asriel slowly made his way to the ground. They stepped forward, mouth parted, wanting to say so many things but unable to voice not even a single one of them. What they had set out to do—their mission from the beginning of their journey—had just been completed. And Asriel had been the one who had done it.

Once Asriel turned towards Frisk, he opened his eyes, and smiled. "Frisk... I have to go now."

" _No,_ " Chara immediately whispered, clamoring forward. " _N-no, please..._ "

"Without the power of everyone's souls... I can't keep maintaining this form," Asriel admitted, and deep down, Frisk knew it. Asriel refused to meet Frisk's eyes. "In a little while... I'll turn back into a flower. I'll stop being 'myself'. I'll stop being able to feel love again." Asriel's voice was cracking and he sounded like he was about to cry again. "So... Frisk. It's best if you just forget about me, okay?"

Never. Never. Frisk wanted to say those words over and over again, but when they tried, their throat just burned with exhaustion. Years of untreated vocal cord damage really did a number to your voice.

"Just go be with the people who love you." _Not without you._

Frisk blinked, once, twice, and didn't hesitate to close the space between them and Asriel. Before their arms could settle fully about Asriel's shoulders, Chara slipped in last second, and Frisk let them. Frisk stepped back, and let them hug Asriel for as long as they needed to. Asriel's head fell onto Chara's shoulder, wetting the fabric with tears, and wetness spilled across Chara's (Frisk's) face as they sobbed and sobbed silently.

Asriel laughed, brokenly, quietly. "I don't want to let go..."

Eventually, Asriel's arms fell from Frisk's body, and Chara was off somewhere behind them. Frisk pulled away, wiping the tears from their cheeks, and swallowing down the lump in their throat.

"Frisk..." Asriel murmured. "You're... You're going to do a great job, okay?"

Nobody had ever told them that before.

"No matter _what_ you do. Everyone will be there for you, okay?"

Nobody had ever been there for them before.

Asriel turned away from him, his final tears pattering against the black space underneath them. "Well... my time's running out," he said, wanting to say something. "Goodbye."

Frisk watched him walk away, and Chara was screaming behind them—begging and pleading for him _not to go, please, don't go_.

Then Asriel stopped, and looked over his shoulder. "By the way... Frisk... take care of Mom and Dad for me, okay?"

Frisk nodded, and opened their mouth. "Okay."

Asriel's eyes went as wide as saucers, and Frisk put a hand to their throat. They coughed, wheezed, feeling their throat burn like someone had scorched it alive. The noise that had left their throat had been barely comprehensible and garbled like they had been gargling water, but it had been a _word_.

As Frisk looked up at Asriel with wide, startled eyes, he just smiled at them, and began to walk away. The world went wide as his figure retreated into the dark.

 

* * *

 

_Frisk!_

_This is all just a bad dream...!_

_Please, wake up...!_

 

* * *

 

When Frisk opened their eyes, all their friends were standing around them. They were laying on the ground, staring up at the ceiling. They sat up, holding their head and grimacing. Their throat still burned terribly, and they knew that whatever it was they had just done, they wouldn't be able to do again for a long time.

"Oh!" Toriel exclaimed in obvious relief. "You are awake! Thank goodness!"

"W-we were so worried...!" Alphys said, nodding. "It felt like you were out forever!"

Undyne grinned. "Yeah! Any longer and I would have freaked out!! Tell us next time you decide to take a nap, okay!?"

"yeah. you made papyrus cry like a baby," Sans commented, nudging his head towards said brother.

Papyrus' jaw went agape. "WHAT!!! I DIDN'T CRY!! I DON'T CRY!!" He squinted, glancing off to the side. "I JUST... CAUGHT SOMETHING IN MY EYE."

"what did you catch?"

"TEARS!!!!"

 _These hands... oh_ , said a voice in their head at the same time Papyrus replied.

Frisk jolted. _Chara!?_

_Yeah._

_I thought you had a body? Kinda?_ Frisk questioned in confusion, and then noticed their other companion was missing.

Chara gave off the impression of a shrug. _I'm like... 90% sure the whole body-thing was a result of Gaster's influence._

 _Oh..._ Frisk pouted inwardly. _Where did he go? I liked seeing your face._

 _Not sure. Good riddance_ , Chara replied, and Frisk rolled their eyes at them.

"Now, now," Asgore said, trying to calm down the chatter of the others. "The important part is that Frisk is alright."

Chara made a noise in their head. _Did you ever tell any of them your name?_

Frisk raised their eyebrows. _I'm... sure I told Sans?_

 _Huh..._ Chara hummed.

"Here, Frisk," Asgore said, and there was a large hand atop their head. "Why not drink some tea? It'll make you feel better."

Toriel frowned, and cut in, "Err... how about we give them space, first? They must be very exhausted." She pursed her lips. "Though, from what, I am not certain."

Frisk blinked in confusion, raising an eyebrow. Did they not remember?

"Frisk... we do not remember exactly what happened."

Apparently not.

"There was a flower... And then, everything went white," Toriel said, clasping her hands in front of her sheepishly. "But now the barrier is gone. When you are ready, we will all return to the surface." She nudged her head towards the hallway. "It seems the door to the east will lead us there now. But before then... perhaps you might want to take a walk?" she suggested. "You can say goodbye to all of your wonderful friends."

Frisk beamed at the thought.

"Do as you wish," Toriel granted, gesturing towards the door that lead to the throne room. "We will all wait for you here."

Frisk nodded eagerly, and whirled around to face the door.

_Wait, you're not actually planning on saying goodbye to everyone, are you?_

Frisk ignored their companion and rushed through the door.

 _FRISK_ —

 

* * *

 

Each monster, from the Core all the way back to Snowdin, Frisk visited—much to Chara's dismay.

They informed each and every one about the barrier being destroyed, and asked about their day and what their plans were. It seemed like hours until they finally got back to the Ruins.

 _Wait, I wanna stop by somewhere_ , Chara suddenly said, just as Frisk was about to turn back and head towards the castle.

Frisk raised an eyebrow, turning back around. _Where?_

 _Remember where you fell?_ When Frisk nodded, they continued. _I was buried there._

Frisk's eyes widened in surprise, flashing back to the coffin in the castle cellar. _But the coffin? It had your name on it?_

 _Dad wanted to keep me there to preserve my soul_ , Chara admitted, sounding pained. _When Mom left, she took my body with her, and buried me underneath the golden flowers._ They paused. _And I was trapped down there for years, feeling six children fall on top of me and... unable to do anything about it._ Then they laughed. It didn't sound happy. _But you came along, and your soul was so similar to mine it uprooted me from the tangle of vines and dirt I was stuck in... and your body became mine as well._

Frisk was quiet for a moment, drinking it all in. Then, they smiled outwardly, and slowly but surely began to walk towards the place where they first fell. _I'm glad you're stuck to me_ , they said. _You've been my partner this entire journey, for all the journeys I've been through. You're my friend, Chara._

Chara felt like they wanted to say something, but stopped themself. Then they muttered, _Yeah, yeah._

There weren't many monsters in the Ruins anymore. Frisk assumed that they had all left once the door to the Ruins opened, eager to explore more. The ground and walls were as purple as when they left it, a time that felt like it was ages ago.

What a strange journey for a young child to experience. Frisk almost felt grateful that their parents had cast them away, had left them for dead.

Through the door, Frisk nearly stepped over the place where they met Flowey for the first time—where they had tried to befriend him, and where they had told him their name and situation. It all felt like it was years ago; Frisk wondered how long it had been since they had been thrown down.

They stepped through the archway, turned the corner, and all their breath left their throat in a silent gasp.

Asriel stood there, over the flowers, staring down at their golden color. His white fur was illuminated in the light from the surface. Frisk felt weightless as they walked over to him—they didn't think they'd ever seen him again.

"Don't worry about me," Asriel said, and his voice sounded weak, almost like it wasn't real. He turned to smile at Frisk, who had came to stand beside him. "Someone has to take care of these flowers."

Chara was giving off all kinds of hopeless emotions, making strange sounds and Frisk's fingers twitching from their influence.

Frisk stepped closer, leaning down to look into his eyes. Asriel sighed, shaking his head, and turned his face away.

"Frisk, please leave me alone," he tried. "I can't come back. I just _can't_ , okay?I don't want to break their hearts all over again. It's better if they never see me." He sounded irritated, but they didn't blame him. They assumed that he believed he had gotten it over with—but Frisk just had to come here, had to ruin it all, had to make him feel like this again.

Frisk put a hand to their throat, and tried to say his name, but no sound came out.

"...why are you still here?" Asriel whispered, balling his fists. His shoulders shook. "Are you trying to keep me company?" Asriel paused, and then looked up into their eyes. "Frisk. Hey. Let me ask you a question. Frisk... why did you give yourself up for everybody?" When they only raised an eyebrow at the question, he elaborated. "You... you told me your parents cast you away down here because you were _born_. You had _every_ right to feel upset and angry but... instead you pushed those feelings aside and—became determined to _rescue_ us all."

Frisk pursed their lips, and looked down. They couldn't think of a reason why anyone _wouldn't_ want to.

"Well... only you know the answer, I guess," Asriel finally said. He was quiet for a moment, seemingly hesitant. "I... I know why Chara climbed the mountain."

Frisk's blood ran cold, and Chara let out a quiet gasp inside their head. Frisk didn't want to say that they knew, too.

"It wasn't for a very happy reason." Asriel bit his lip. "Frisk, I'll be honest with you. Chara hated humanity. Why they did, they never talked about it. But they felt very strongly about that."

Chara made a hissing sound. _If you knew, you would too_ , they growled, but it didn't come out as menacing as intended—it sounded sad.

"Frisk... you really ARE different from Chara." Oh, if only he knew. "In fact, though you have similar, uh, fashion choices... I don't know why I ever acted like you were the same person." Asriel fumbled with his fingers in front of him, and then laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Maybe, the truth is... Chara wasn't really the greatest person."

 _I'm sorry—I'm sorry,_ Chara mumbled in their head, and they sounded desolate. _Asriel... I'm sorry.'_

"While, Frisk... You're the type of friend I wish I always had," Asriel said, and he sounded so genuine and honest it made Frisk's throat close up. All the sobs and emotions Chara was releasing was being thrown at them, and they felt betrayed. Chara couldn't have been _that_ bad, right?

_I was an awful, awful person—I-I'm s-so sorry Asriel I'm sorry._

"There's one last thing I feel like I should tell you," Asriel suddenly said, sounding serious. "Frisk, when Chara and I combined our souls together"— _No_ , Chara murmured wistfully—"the control over our body was actually split between us. _They_ were the one that picked up their own empty body. And then, when we got to the village... _they_ were the one that wanted to... to use our full power. _I_ was the one that resisted." Asriel looked down, swallowing. "And then, because of _me_ , we... Well, that's why I ended up a flower."

 _No,_ Chara growled. _I changed my mind. I wanted to kill them all but I CHANGED MY MIND._

"This whole time, I've blamed myself for that decision. That's why I adopted that horrible view of the world." Asriel turned to the side, shifting his weight back and forth. "'Kill or be killed'. But now... after meeting you... Frisk, I don't regret that decision anymore. I did the right thing. If I killed those humans... we would have had to wage war against all of humanity."

_WELL, LOOK HOW IT TURNED OUT FOR ME, ASRIEL._

"And in the end, everyone went free, right?"

 _Because of you_ , Frisk wanted to say. Their throat burned.

"I still feel kind of sad knowing how long it took... so maybe it wasn't a perfect decision," Asriel admitted. "But you can't regret hard choices your whole life, right?" He stopped himself. "Well, not that I have much of a life left. But that's besides the point." He laughed softly, and then gave Frisk a warm smile. "Frisk, thank you for listening to me. You should really go be with your friends now, okay? Oh, and, uh, please... in the future, if you, uh, see me... don't think of it as me, okay? I just want you to remember me like this. Someone that was your friend for a little while."

 

> _**Do you want to see the stars?** Frisk stared down at Flowey with a hard gaze. **The real ones?**_
> 
> _He avoided their eyes, and let out a slow breath, his petals fluttering._
> 
> _"I guess," he finally replied. "But the dream gets old fast."_
> 
> _Frisk seemed to giggle quietly, and walked up to the telescope, twisting it up and down. **I'll take you to see them** , they signed. **We can watch them together.**_

 

And Frisk shook their head, because, no, Flowey had been their friend. Even if he had been _manipulating_ them the entire time, they shared moments together. Flowey didn't kill them at first glance—he had to have felt _something_. Whether it be compassion or just noticing Chara's presence, he was _there_.

And they had promised to take him to the surface once they managed to free monsters. Even if that promise had been altered slightly, they were determined to keep it.

Frisk shook their head at him, and Asriel gave them a confused look. Chara matched it with a confused noise. They took his hand and sat down on the flowers, pulling him along with them. He made a startled noise as he fell onto his behind beside them, and when Frisk wouldn't let go of his hand, he just stared at their conjoined hands.

 _I have to tell him you're here_ , Frisk said. _But I don't know how._

Chara was quiet, but they gave off the impression that they had an idea, so Frisk stepped back and let them take the reins. Chara closed their eyes, and when they opened them, both irises were blood red. Asriel's gaze was fixed on their face, mouth agape in awe, and Chara reached up to grab the heart locket Frisk had put on before their battle. They squeezed Asriel's hand slightly.

Asriel looked as if he were in disbelief. "...Chara?"

They nodded. And then closed their eyes.

Frisk stepped back in, and let their hands fall. Their eyes were back to brown and blue, both staring into Asriel's black ones. Asriel looked like he was about to cry, and Chara sounded like it. The entire situation was far too emotional for their own good.

Asriel opened his mouth, shaking his head, but then closed it. He was silent, his hand simply falling limp in Frisk's. Frisk didn't say anything either—they couldn't—and looked up at the hole where they fell through.

They heard Chara make a faint, broken gasp in the back of their head.

"...Don't you have anything better to do?"

When Frisk turned, Asriel was gone. It was only Flowey now, one of his leaves in Frisk's tiny hand. He didn't move, didn't turn to look at them. His petals hung over his face as he hung himself forward.

Frisk didn't say or sign a word as they dug their hands into the dirt. Flowey was silent, his body not as bright as before. Frisk uprooted him from the ground, dusting themself off of the dirt that followed, and wrapped his stem around their arm. The rest of his body leaned against their chest, his face on their shoulder, and he didn't do anything.

Frisk felt oddly desolate as they walked out of the Ruins.

 

* * *

 

In Toriel's room was a flowerpot with an odd-looking plant inside.

With some guilt, Frisk took the odd plant out and replaced it with Flowey. He looked almost dead as Frisk wrapped their arms around the pot, holding it close to their chest.

 

* * *

 

Frisk walked up to all their friends, pot in hand. Sans seemed to jolt at the sudden addition, but Papyrus was overjoyed. Alphys looked terrified, while the rest just looked either confused, indifferent, or a mix of both. Frisk decided not to offer any explanation for now.

They turned, facing the door to the east. When they walked through, instead of a never-ending barrier, there was a archway that lead to a light. It was the outside world.

Frisk felt their friends following behind them, eager, whispering about what could be up there. Frisk smiled, smiled at Chara, and down at Flowey. They were sure the monsters were going to love it.

So, they took a step forward, and felt the cool breeze of early morning air blow through their hair and clothes—

—and what awaited them was a sight to behold.

Frisk and their friends watched over the sunrise, watching the colors of the sky as the sun rose and rose until it would be high in the sky. They felt Flowey move against them, until his head was turned so he, too could watch.

"Oh my..." Toriel whispered, breathless. Her eyes were sparkling.

"Isn't it beautiful, everyone?" Asgore murmured, careful not to upset the mood.

"Wow..." Alphys marveled. "It's e-even better than on TV. WAY better!! Better than I ever imagined!!"

"Frisk, you LIVE with this!?" Undyne gasped, amazed. When Frisk nodded, she let out a large hoot. "The sunlight is so nice... and the air is so fresh!! I really feel alive!!"

"HEY SANS..." Papyrus said, turning to his brother. "WHAT'S THAT GIANT BALL??"

Frisk snorted, covering their mouth with their hand.

"we call that 'the sun,' my friend."

"THAT'S THE SUN!? WOWIE!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FINALLY MEETING THE SUN!!!"

"I could stand here and watch this for hours," Asgore said, and Frisk had to agree—even though they've lived with the sun ever since they were born, they had never stopped and took the time to just... watch it. Observe it. Bask in its glory and light.

"Yes, it is beautiful," Toriel agreed, "is it not? But, we should really think about what comes next."

Frisk's thoughts drifted to their parents, and then to the rest of humans. They worried about what the government and all humanity would think of monsters. Would they be rejected? Would there be another war?

"Everyone..." Asgore announced softly, turning. "This is the beginning of a bright new future. An era of peace between humans and monsters." He let out a tiny sigh, and leaned forward so he could look at Frisk from all the way across the row. "Frisk, I have something to ask of you. Will you act as our ambassador to the humans?"

Frisk wasn't sure how people would react to a 9-year old child being the ambassador for all monsters, but they nodded, nonetheless.

Papyrus cheered. "YEAH!! FRISK WILL BE THE BEST AMBASSADOR!!! AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS... WILL BE THE BEST MASCOT. I'LL GO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!" He rushed off in the direction down the mountain, towards the town.

Sans laughed. "welp. someone's gotta keep him from getting into trouble." He winked. "see you guys." He turned, walking in the complete opposite direction from where Papyrus went.

"Man, do I have to do EVERYTHING??" Undyne groaned. "Papyrus, wait!!!"

"Hey, Undyne!! Wait up!!"

With the others gone, all there was left (save for Frisk and their companions) were Toriel and Asgore. Toriel wasn't saying a word, and had her gaze focused on the sunset. Frisk looked between her and Asgore, the latter of which looked increasingly nervouser and nervouser.

"Um, should I do something...?" he asked, turning towards the other two.

Toriel gave him a side-glare.

"Well... gotta go!" the king declared, rushing off before Toriel could glare at him anymore.

Frisk snickered quietly from behind their hand.

"It seems that everyone is quite eager to set off," Toriel observed, smiling gently. She paused, and turned to Frisk, looking down at them with a small, worried frown. "Frisk... you came from this world, right...? So you must have a place to return to, do you not? What will you do now?"

Frisk swallowed, blinking a few times. Their parents threw them down into the Underground all because they didn't want them. All because they were a mistake. Surely their parents wouldn't want them back now.

So they looked up at Toriel, and slid their tiny hand into her large one.

"What?" Toriel chirped in shock. "Frisk... You really are a funny child. If you had said that earlier, none of this would have happened." She patted their head with their free hand, and looked between their conjoined hands and their face. "It is a good thing you took so long to change your mind." She giggled, and smiled. "Well, I suppose... if you really do not have any other place to go... I will do my best to take care of you, for as long as you need."

They resisted the want to cry, because nobody had ever wanted them before.

"All right?" Toriel said, and when Frisk nodded, she leaned down and kissed their forehead. "Now, come along. Everyone is waiting for us!"

As she pulled them along, Frisk looked over their shoulder to see Gaster standing there. He was smiling, the best he could, and signed something just before disappearing in a flash. They had just barely been able to catch his words.

**_YOU'RE FREE._ **

Frisk felt a silly smile tug at the corner of their lips. Flowey seemed brighter in his pot, but he was still as silent as can be. So, they turned to the companion in their head, who was still stuck on the colors and brightness of the sunrise.

 _I haven't seen the sun rise in over a hundred years,_ Chara said quietly, and it sounded like they were frowning.

Frisk just raised an eyebrow. _How does it feel?_

Chara was quiet for quite some time. It wasn't until they managed to catch up with the others that they replied.

_It feels good._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)


	23. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> set three months after the destruction of the barrier. flowey is the only one who knows of chara's existence inside frisk. frisk's friends know of how they ended up in the underground.

 

In the three months monsters had been freed, Frisk's life had changed dramatically—their entire world flipped upside down.

On the first day monsters escaped the Underground, the humans went wild. The existence of monsters and magic had been scrubbed away from humanity after the Humans vs Monsters war. Governments all across the world came together to figure out a plan of what to do with the monsters.

Then Frisk, the tiny 9-year old, produced themself as an ambassador.

With no other live humans that had come into contact with the monsters (and none with such an emotional attachment to them), they were forced to accept Frisk as the official monster ambassador.

Within the next week, Frisk's face was all over the news. Stories and rumors went out—articles and news channels speaking about the identity of Frisk's parents, how they fell in the Underground, how they managed to befriend pretty much every monster, and, the most popular: how they managed to destroy an ages-old barrier.

(Except Frisk didn't touch the Barrier. It was all Asriel.)

Meetings, interviews, and interrogations by federal agents and social workers became Frisk's daily life for the next two months. It wasn't until Toriel officially adopted Frisk (who, strangely, had no birth record) that the attention began to die down. The interviewers began to lose interest in the small child who couldn't even speak. Instead, they became interested in the lives of everyday monsters—coming occasionally to Toriel's home to ask how the human child was faring in the monster community.

Of course, things didn't run smoothly all the time.

There were those who opposed that monsters be allowed to live in the surface. Some even tried to kill monsters and attack them, but fortunately, none succeeded. Many anti-monster supporters voted against the idea for monsters to have equal rights to the humans.

(And yet all their efforts failed, and by the time three months had come, monsters were treated—or at least were supposed to be—equally as the humans were.)

It was a strange turn of events.

 

* * *

 

Mettaton sighed, tapping away on his phone with his pout set in place. Standing in the middle of the foyer of his grand estate (that he shared with Alphys, Undyne, and Napstablook), he tapped his foot impatiently against the tiled ground.

Frisk was placed gingerly on his hip, being held up by one of his arms. In their hands was a chocolate milkshake (per Chara's request), and around their shoulders was Flowey—where he usually liked to hang out, away from everyone else (he wasn't allowed to go anywhere if Frisk wasn't there, anyway).

 _What's he so worked up about?_ Chara inquired, talking about Mettaton. Said robot was pouting even more at his phone.

 _I think an outing with Papyrus or something_ , Frisk replied, letting Chara take another sip of the chocolate milkshake. _Mom is late to pick me up and he has to get ready, I guess._

Chara gave off the impression of a frown. _Why doesn't he just let us go and get ready himself?_

 _He thinks we're too precious,_ Frisk snickered, but then paused, and correct themself, _Well, that I am, anyway._

Chara didn't say anything. They only closed their eyes and drank more from the milkshake. Mettaton looked up from his phone and batted their face gently, a disapproving frown on his face.

"Don't drink too much, darling," he scolded, raising an eyebrow at their fading red eyes. "You'll get sick."

Chara made a _tch_ sound in their head, and Frisk stifled a silent snort. Once he turned his attention back to his phone, Chara stepped in and purposely took a giant sip. Frisk grimaced at the brain freeze that followed.

Mettaton eventually groaned and stomped his boot against the ground. "Ugh, when will Toriel _get_ here!?"

As if on cue, there was a hesitant knock on the door, followed by very faint and very quiet voices from behind. Mettaton raised an eyebrow, but before he could do anything, Frisk clamored out of his arms and handed him the milkshake to hold. They rushed over to the door excitedly to greet Toriel, and just before they grabbed the door handle, they grinned at Mettaton. Said robot was sporting a relieved look.

Frisk swung open the door, and their heart jumped to their throat.

Standing there was someone who was definitely _not_ Toriel. It was someone with familiar dark hair, skin, and eyes. Someone with a familiar face. Someone with a familiar voice as they breathed Frisk's dead name.

Mettaton narrowed his eye. "Who's this?" he asked. When he received no reply, but only silence as Frisk continued to stare, he put two and two together and noticed the similarities between the two. "...Frisk, do you know this woman?"

Frisk turned back towards their robot friend with wide, terrified eyes. **My mother** , they signed with shaky hands.

Immediately, Mettaton stepped in front of Frisk and put his hand over them to shield them from the woman who was supposedly Frisk's mother. He glared at her, his visible eye shining bright purple. "You're not welcome here," he hissed.

Frisk's mother blinked a few times, surprised, and stepped back a little. "I-I," she stammered, not sure what to say.

 _This is your mother?_ Chara muttered. _She's so young._

Frisk didn't answer them, and only stared up at their mother from behind Mettaton. They eyed her up and down, drinking in her appearance. She looked less thin, not so malnourished. Her hair looked healthier, her skin darker, her eyes brighter. She had improved greatly—all thanks to the loss of her child, apparently.

"I will call the police and have them arrest you for attempted murder if you don't go away _right now_ ," Mettaton seethed, more angry than Frisk had ever heard him before.

Frisk's mother took another step back, shaking her hands. "I-I just saw 'em on TV and w-wanted to know what the hell happened to my baby—"

" _Frisk is not your baby,_ " Mettaton corrected, and Frisk wondered if he was going to go into his NEO mode from how much he was steaming. "You left them for _dead_."

"I... I know that, and—and I regret it, but," their mother tried, looking sweatier and sweatier by the minute, "b-but I just wanted to... talk to 'em about a few things."

"What is there to talk about?" Flowey suddenly spoke up from their place around Frisk's shoulders. He gave her a large, menacing grin. "I think you made it _perfectly_ clear about everything you wanted to say to them when you threw them down the hole."

Shocked, Frisk's mother's eyes went wide, and then narrowed. "You know NOTHING ABOUT ME—" she began, raising her hand as if she were to smack the flower, but then Chara suddenly took control and grabbed her wrist. Their mother gave a gasp, peering into Chara's red eyes, and shuddered visibly. "Y-Your... eyes..."

 **What is it you want to say?** Frisk signed warily, much to the dismay of Mettaton.

Frisk's mother took a deep breath, and that's when Frisk realized that she _understood_ them. Sometime after their descent into the Underground, she had taken the time to learn sign language. The revelation made them feel strange.

"I... wanted to apologize," she said softly, looking more comfortable now that Mettaton had stepped out of the way (she continued looking nervously at Flowey, however, unsettled by his unnerving smile). "When I had you, I was still in high school. I didn't know what to do. My parents kicked me out, and—and I moved in with my boyfriend, y-your father. He was..." She hesitated. "...controlling. He wanted me to get an abortion, but... we were so poor we couldn't afford it. Then I gave birth to you in the middle of an alleyway, and that's... where everything went downhill."

Mettaton narrowed his eyes, and opened his mouth to say something, but Frisk's mother beat them to it.

"W-we struggled on money, and... we were selfish. And mean to you. And that was a mistake." The fact that she sounded genuine made Frisk sick to their stomach. "We hardly took care of you, and then... your father devised a plan to get us more money: getting rid of you. He made me agree—"

 **You agreed without hesitation** , Frisk protested.

Their mother opened her mouth, and then paused, and hung her head. "You're right. I did. I was so _desperate_ to go back to school that I would've done _anything_ by that point." She bit her lip. "And then we cast you down. But... we didn't think you'd _survive_. Or free the supposed _monsters_ that were down there—" She let out a dry laugh, cutting herself off. "Maybe we did you a favor by throwing you down there... Now you have a better life." She clasped her hands together in front of her chest. "I'm not here to take you back. I'm not here to convince you that I'm a better person now, because I'm not." Frisk's mother knelt down to be at her child's height, and gave them a sad smile through the tears streaming down her face. "But I'm trying. And... just knowing that you heard me is enough for me to handle."

She stood, and looked down at Frisk. They stared at her for a moment, and then outstretched her arms. Her eyes widened, and she reached down to hug them, but then Frisk was signing **I don't forgive you** and the door was being slammed in her face.

When they turned their back to the door, Mettaton was staring at them with his jaw dropped.

 _Holy shit_ , Chara laughed. _Savage._ Flowey seemed amused as well, though he only showed it with a sly grin.

Mettaton looked like he was going to say something, but he only held up one finger and slowly turned to dial a number and put his phone to his ear. Frisk could hear a faint _Hello?_ from the other line. "Alphys? Yeah, you will not _believe_ what just happened." He walked off, continuing his conversation, and it only made Chara laugh harder.

Frisk walked back to the couch, where their chocolate milkshake was sitting on the side table and slowly melting. They picked it up. _You still want it?_ they asked.

Chara scoffed. _Do I want it? It's chocolate. Give it here._

Frisk let Chara take control as they sipped eagerly at the milkshake. Flowey, from their shoulders, twisted around to look at their face. Chara peeked one eye open to peer at him.

"You still haven't changed after a hundred years," Flowey muttered. "When will that chocolate obsession stop?"

From being attached to Frisk's body for so long, they had picked up a few of Frisk's traits and attributes (just as how Frisk picked up a few from them—especially physically, since on their face was now a permanent blush), including their sign language ability.

Chara tucked the milkshake between their legs and raised their hands. **Chocolate is good, so fuck off.**

Flowey rolled his eyes, looking annoyed.

 

* * *

 

Ten minutes later, Toriel arrived to pick them up. After Mettaton had ranted to her about everything that happened, Toriel picked up Frisk and carried them to the car without another word. In the car was Sans, who, apparently, could drive now. He flashed them a peace sign, winking at them as Toriel set them in the back seat.

"hey kiddo," he greeted. "what's wrong? you look like you've seen a ghost. maybe i can lift your _spirits_ up."

Toriel climbed into the front seat with a sigh, and then leaned in towards Sans, using her hand to cover her mouth even though Frisk could hear everything she was saying. "Frisk's birth mother came to see them."

"oh boy." _Oh boy indeed_ , Chara agreed.

"Yes. I am worried."

Frisk leaned forward and tapped Toriel on the shoulder. When she and Sans turned around, they signed, **She won't come back.**

Sans tilted his head. "what makes you say that?"

Their eyes flickered red for a moment. **She won't come back.**

Toriel and Sans shared a look, before wordlessly starting the car and driving off.

 

* * *

 

Frisk stared up at the ceiling as they laid in bed, Flowey tucked safely in his pot on the table beside their bed. The ceiling was decorated with tons of glow-in-the-dark stars, upon their request when Toriel asked them what they wanted to decorate their room with.

Frisk turned their head and nudged Flowey's pot, stirring him. He groaned out loud, swiveling around to face them. "What?" he hissed.

**Let's go watch the stars.**

"We did that last week."

**Let's do it again.**

Before Flowey could say no, Frisk had already climbed out of their bed and grabbed his pot. They slid on a pair of slippers before reaching over the side of their bed to open the window. It didn't feel all too cold out—summer was settling in—so they gently maneuvered themself outside the window and onto the windowsill. They jumped up, catching the railing of the roof with one hand, and pulled themself up (with the help of Chara). Setting Flowey beside them on the roof, they laid down and put their hands behind their head, marveling at the sight of so many stars.

It was a clear night out. Frisk wondered how many other monsters and humans alike were watching the stars.

 _I love space_ , Frisk said happily.

Chara scoffed. _Yeah, I know. You can't go an hour without proclaiming about aliens and how they're among us._

Frisk pouted. _If monsters are real then so are aliens._

 _You watch too much X-Files._ Chara paused. _I still have no idea how you managed to convince Mom to let you watch that. It's not exactly the ideal show for a 9-year old to watch._

 _I'm almost 10_ , Frisk protested. _Practically a grownup._

 _Oh, yeah_ , Chara drawled sarcastically, _soon you'll be doing your taxes and putting your house on mortgage._

_What's mortgage?_

_Hell if I know._

When Frisk turned their head, they saw Flowey gazing up at the stars like he was transfixed. They knew the feeling. No matter how many times he protested he wasn't interested in the stars, they could see that, in his eyes, he was just as amazed as everyone on earth. Every monster had dreamed of seeing the stars one day, and that excitement still hadn't died down.

(In fact, on the first night of their freedom, monsters all across gathered together to watch the stars. Frisk could still feel the excitement and wonder every monster felt in that moment.)

 _I wonder if Flowey could ever manage to turn back into Asriel_ , they said to nobody in particular.

Chara responded, however, sounding strange. _...He would need a soul._

_The human souls are still down there, right? Maybe we can convince one of them to give themself up for him._

_Probably not_ , Chara replied, and then backtracked. _Well, I mean, after having their souls encased in glass for years I'm sure they're happy to be free. And not being used by a soulless flower._

 _But he wouldn't be a soulless flower_ , Frisk said. _He'd be Asriel._

 _...I guess it's worth a shot_ , Chara said, and then, as if to not sound too hopeful, said, _It probably won't work._

Frisk just shrugged outwardly. They glanced at Flowey again, and then back to the stars. Tracing the constellations with their eyes, their mind wandered to the lives of their friends since they had escaped. Mettaton had made his mark across the world, becoming a popular idol with teenage boys and girls and all around (he was especially popular in Japan). Alphys had become a science teacher in Toriel's school, occasionally working with the professional human scientists. Undyne had become a professional trainer (many times working with kids with disabilities). Sans was—well, Sans. Papyrus had tried to start his own spaghetti shop, but when that failed, he had turned to Undyne and worked alongside her. Muffet ran her own bakery, Asgore dealt with the official matters of the monsters, and everyone seemed... happy.

Frisk's mind trailed back to their time in the Underground. What a strange journey for a young child to experience.

Suddenly, in the midst of the stars there was a black dot, and they sat up suddenly to look closer. But then it was gone, and Frisk turned their head to the side to see a familiar, wispy figure signing his hands at them.

**_HELLO, CHILD. I AM STILL HERE._ **

Frisk beamed, while Chara groaned in their head.

_Will this guy EVER leave?_

 

* * *

 

Undyne cackled, her laugh echoing throughout the gym. She threw another ball at one of her kids, who had just barely dodged her last one. Papyrus was across the gym, working with a young girl in a wheelchair who was struggling to walk on two feet. He held onto her hands, gently taking steps backwards to allow her to try walking.

Frisk sat in the corner, drawing on a large poster board for the gym's upcoming event. Undyne had written the words, and Frisk was adding in the color details. They switched between markers and crayons, sometimes letting Chara draw some things. Flowey was in a pot beside them, drawing on a random sheet of paper with a black marker. He was only making scribbles, but he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Suddenly, a pair of feet trotted up towards them. When they looked up, they saw a young human girl about their age, with dark brown eyes and soft black hair, and very dark skin that was splashed with white across her face, shoulders, and arms ( _Vitiligo_ , Chara informed them). She was dressed in a dark blue dress and had on ballet slippers.

"Can I join you?" she asked excitedly.

Frisk stared at her for a few moments, and then nodded. She eagerly knelt down beside them, taking a few markers and immediately getting to work on series of blue hearts, all different shades.

"Blue is my favorite color," she said. "What's yours?"

Frisk thought for a moment, and then answered, **Purple.**

The girl frowned, titling her head.

"They said 'purple'," Flowey translated suddenly, looking up.

The girl looked startled for a moment by the flower's sudden verbalization, but then nodded and smiled at Frisk. "I like that color too!" she exclaimed. "My name is Kassia. What's yours?"

Frisk was about to sign again, but then they took the sheet of paper from Flowey (causing him to let out a sigh), and in the corner where there were no scribbles, they wrote down _Frisk Dreemurr_ in red crayon.

 _You sure like making friends, huh?_ Chara scoffed.

"'Frisk'?" Kassia mumbled, testing the name on her tongue, and then smiled so brightly her smile could've lit up the room. "I know you! You're the monster kid! That's so cool! Monsters are so cool!"

Frisk smiled at her and nodded excitedly.

"We can be friends, right, Frisk?"

Frisk wrote down _Yes_ in another corner and giggled silently. As they and Kassia returned to their work, Frisk smirked a little internally.

 _Of course I do_ , they replied matter-of-factly. _I've made many friends. Including you, right?_

Chara barked out a laugh.

_Yeah. We're friends, Frisk._

Frisk smiled outwardly, brushing their bangs away from their eyes. They glanced up, looking at their friends do their thing, and let out an amused chortle. A year ago, and even more, they never believed they would be happy. They never believed they would be loved.

But now, three months after that fateful moment, here they were. Happy, and loved.

Things did turn out well for them, after all.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's the end of the story.
> 
> i find it absolutely incredible that this was just a oneshot at first. and yet, so many people commented and asked for me to continue it. and i almost didn't, but i did. and it became so much more than just a simple headcanon. it became a full-on tale. i added quite a few of my own headcanons into it, but many of you enjoyed it nonetheless, and i'm so grateful for that.
> 
> thank you for following this story until the end.
> 
> until next time.
> 
> [tumblr](http://saltyiwaizumi.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> this is bad im srry-
> 
> comments??? maybe??? they are my lifeline


End file.
